


A Room With a View of You

by mrjasonbloke



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Betrayal, F/F, I have never been so engrossed in writing something before, It's going to get darker, Lesbian Relationship, Sibling Rivalry, Templar Evie, thornye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 04:43:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10846710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrjasonbloke/pseuds/mrjasonbloke
Summary: When Evie Frye is confronted by Lucy Thorne in the vault at St. Paul's, things start to unravel around her to a point where she begins to question where her loyalties lie.This is getting darker, some violence and light NSFW (Chapter 2 onwards)





	1. A Room With a View of You

[](https://imgur.com/ZQzcLYx)

Evie knew what she had to do.

The mission was simple. Unlock the vault. Enter aforementioned vault. Retrieve the key to the Shroud. 

But sometimes even the simplest of plans can go awry and not always for the reasons that you might expect. 

The young assassin had no trouble in unlocking the entrance to the vault and climbed to the top of St. Paul's with grace and ease. Evie swept in through the archway and into the vault. There, resting on a plinth was the key. Evie quickly made her way over to where the key lay and took the object in her grasp, placing it around her slender neck. Mission accomplished, or so she thought. 

That was when the trouble started. 

"Good day, Miss Frye. I'll take that." came the sultry tones of Lucy Thorne. 

The Templar was standing behind Evie. The assassin could feel every muscle suddenly tense in her body as heat raged through her veins. Her eyes went wide as she turned to face her enemy. Then the realisation hit home. 

All those years of assassin training were now a distant memory as she locked eyes with the Templar. Those dark brown orbs looked back at her strangely. Lucy Thorne was dumbstruck. Her feet anchored to the floor. Her heart hammering in her chest. Thorne knew her objective, return with the key. The key that was now hanging around the young assassin's neck. 

Lucy let out a scream as she charged towards Evie with her eyes partially closed, her dagger held at chest height. 

Evie ran at the Templar lieutenant, her hidden blade drawn. 

The two women crashed into each other, their faces barely centimetres apart. Lucy tried to grab for the key but was always just out of reach. The anger painted across their faces suddenly turned to lust as Evie pushed against the Templar, knocking her against the wall. Lucy tried to lash out again, taking a swipe with her dagger, which Evie missed with ease. 

The assassin caught sight of Thorne's dark eyes once again and lost control. To Lucy's surprise, Evie retracted her hidden blade and dropped her belt of throwing knives to the floor, kicking them aside. 

Evie pushed Thorne to the wall once more, grabbing for her, throwing her left arm around Lucy to hold her in place. Lucy could feel Evie's lips lightly touching the sensitive skin of her neck. 

Lucy suddenly pushed against Evie, throwing her up against the wall. Their lips now almost touching. 

"If you are going to kiss me," said Lucy, in an angry tone. "Then, KISS me." 

They slammed their lips together, participating in what seemed like some drunken dance as they staggered around the room grabbing at each other. 

"Lucy, I-" whispered Evie, breathlessly. 

"Don't let me go….Evie." replied Lucy, as she gazed into the assassin's greenish blue eyes. 

The Templar threw Evie against the roughened surface of the chamber once again. The assassin could feel her legs starting to shake as her emotions began to get the better of her. Once again Lucy's lips met with hers and once again Evie grabbed at the Templar, pulling her even closer. She didn't want to let her go. She knew that she had to but not yet. 

Just a moment to satisfy their desires. Just one moment. 

"Lucy, I- I love you." gasped Evie into the Templar's left ear. 

Lucy Thorne took Evie's face in her hands and gently stroked at the young assassin's cheeks, all thought of the key was gone, all that Lucy could see was the young woman in front of her. 

The Templar tenderly kissed Evie, savouring every second that she had the assassin in her arms. 

"Evie," Lucy moaned out, as Evie put her lips to the redhead's neck once more. 

"I want to hear you say it," said Evie, breathlessly. 

Lucy leaned back against Evie, tilting her head back as the assassin kissed down her throat. 

Closing her eyes, Lucy let the words slip from her lips, 

"I love you….." 

Just as suddenly as it had begun, Evie gathered her confused mind and pulled away from the dazed Templar. 

"No, Evie. Don't go!" Lucy pleaded. 

The redhead grabbed for Evie as the assassin tried to leave. 

Evie couldn't think. She wanted Lucy, she craved her but she knew that she couldn't stay there. 

"No, Evie. I can't let you leave!" Lucy shouted. 

The assassin put her lips to Lucy's once more before taking advantage of the distraction to break away. 

Evie jumped headlong straight through the stained glass window and made good her escape. 

"EVIE!" Lucy cried, as she ran towards the smashed window. 

There was no sign of the assassin. Lucy stood staring blankly into the distance. She had lost the key but it was of no consequence to her. 

All she could think about was the young woman who had held her, kissed her, looked at her as if she was the most beautiful being on the Earth. 

All she could think about was Evie Frye. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Evie arrived back on the train, unceremoniously making her return known as she slammed the carriage door shut behind her. 

"I trust that all went well?" Jacob asked, upon seeing that his Sister had returned. 

"Shut up, Jacob." Evie hissed, as she ripped the necklace holding the key from around her neck and nonchalantly tossed it at her Brother. The female twin continued to walk through to her own carriage, not speaking another word. Leaving a stunned Jacob in her wake. 

"Evie?" said Jacob, puzzled, looking at the key in his grasp. Jacob walked at an increased pace through to his Sister's sleeping quarters but he couldn't gain entry. Evie had locked the door. 

"Evie, what happened? Something is obviously wrong. Talk to me." pleaded Jacob, as he continued his one-sided conversation. 

Still silence. 

Evie was lying across her bed, tears beginning to well up in her greenish blue eyes. She just wanted her Brother to leave her alone. She didn't want him to hear her break down. 

"Alright, I know when I'm not wanted." said Jacob. 

Evie heard the sound of Jacob's footsteps melting into the distance and that was when she felt her body collapse under a torrent of emotion. 

"Oh, Lucy." The assassin sobbed into her pillow. 

Falling in love had not been part of the plan. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When Evie finally emerged from her carriage she quietly crept through the train, not wanting to attract any attention. She didn't want to talk. 

"Well there you are, dear Sister." said Jacob. 

Evie turned to see her Brother standing behind her with his arms folded and a signature smug look on his face. 

"I'm going out." Evie hissed through gritted teeth. 

"Where?" asked Jacob, puzzled. 

"For crying out loud, I don't need your permission!" Evie shouted. 

"No, but I'm worried about you, Evie. Something obviously happened when you went to the vault..but you won't talk to me!" said Jacob, his arms becoming animated. 

"I can't..." Evie began, looking down at the carriage floor. 

"So, something DID happen!" said Jacob. 

The male Frye twin then noticed the tiny shards of glass that were embedded in his Sister's clothing. 

"Who was it, Evie? asked Jacob, trying to read between the lines. "Thorne?" 

Evie's eyes widened at the mention of the Templar's name. 

"Jacob, I-" The female Frye twin couldn't speak. She panicked and ran towards the end of the train. She had to escape. 

"Evie!" her Brother called after her but Evie didn't look back, she deployed her rope launcher and disappeared. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Lucy Thorne was sitting at her dressing table as she prepared to retire for the evening. The Templar was dressed in a simple black evening robe, staring into the mirror as she brushed her long, shining red hair. 

All of a sudden the Templar jumped slightly in her seat as she thought she had seen something. Lucy turned, holding an oil lamp up. 

"Who's there?" asked Lucy, sternly. 

The redhead put the lamp back down on the dressing table and picked up her dagger. Getting to her feet, Lucy quietly walked in the direction that she was sure the noise had come from. 

There was a thud as Lucy heard what sounded like footsteps near the window. She ran back to the dressing table and grasped the lamp again. When Thorne turned back around she found Evie standing in front of her, illuminated only by the dim light of the oil lamp. 

Lucy looked at Evie. Evie looked at Lucy. Neither of them moved as they each bathed in the glow of the lamplight, losing themselves in each others' eyes. 

"Miss Thorne, I had to see you." said Evie, softly. 

Lucy silently placed the lamp down on the floor before falling into Evie's arms. 

Evie heard Lucy exhale sharply as she tightened her embrace. The assassin ran her fingers through the strands of silken fire red hair that were in her grasp and buried her face in the Templar's neck. 

"Oh, Evie." Lucy moaned, as the assassin gently kissed her neck. 

Lucy felt Evie's warm lips trail over her neck until they finally reached her lips. The Templar moved her hands up to Evie's face, her thumbs stroking over the pattern of freckles on the young assassin's face. 

"I love you," Lucy breathed out, as they kissed each other fiercely. 

"You are so beautiful, Lucy." replied Evie, slowly running her left thumb over the small scar on the Templar's upper lip before capturing her lips for another kiss. 

"Don't leave me." Lucy gasped through the kiss. 

"I'm not going anywhere." replied Evie, as the Templar grabbed at her braids and she felt them falling loose. 

Evie gave Lucy a sly smile, "It's going to be a long night, Miss Thorne." 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Evie stirred from her sleep. She took a moment to adjust to her surroundings, then she smiled. Lucy was cuddled up beside her, her left arm straddling the assassin's chest. Evie took the Templar's hand in her own and gently kissed her fingers. 

"I love you, my Templar goddess." whispered Evie. 

"What was that?" Lucy mumbled, as she tried to wake up. 

"I said, I love you." Evie replied, softly planting a kiss on Lucy's forehead. 

Lucy opened her eyes and smiled as she cuddled up to Evie even more. 

"So, it wasn't a dream. You're here." said Lucy, her eyes shining brightly at Evie. 

Evie wrapped her arms around Lucy and pressed another kiss into the Templar's hair. 

"No, not a dream," Evie beemed. 

"Just a moment," said Lucy, getting up from the bed and walking over to her dressing table. 

The Templar looked at her ring lying on the wooden surface, the ring which was given to her upon entering the Templar order. Taking the object in her grasp, the redhead returned to her bed and Evie's arms, gazing at the assassin as she began to speak. 

"Evie, I want you to take this," said Lucy. "It is said that an assassin takes a Templar's ring as a trophy when they either kill them or take them as a prisoner. 

"I don't understand," said Evie, propping herself up on her left arm. 

"You have made me a prisoner of your heart, Evie. Take my ring as a token of my devotion, I love you." 

Evie held out her left hand towards Lucy as the Templar placed the ring on the brunette's hand. 

Evie took Lucy back into her arms. 

"Here," said Evie, removing her assassin ring and sliding it onto Lucy's left hand. 

"Why," asked Lucy. 

"Because I'm a prisoner too, Lucy." replied Evie. 

They didn't want to move from the bed. They felt safe, cocooned, a million miles away from the distractions of their everyday conflicts. Evie knew that the serenity couldn't last. They would be forced down the route of fleeting glances and secret meetings. Her Brother would notice the ring and all manner of excuses would have to be found. But Evie didn't care. All that she would see was the woman lying in her embrace. Everything else seemed unimportant. 

"I will have to go soon," said Evie, as she looked longingly into Lucy's eyes. 

The assassin felt Lucy tighten her grip on her. 

"I will come back late tonight, no one will be any the wiser. I want to be with you, my darling Lucy." said Evie, kissing the redhead firmly on the lips. 

Evie relunctantly got out of the bed and went to get dressed. Lucy sat up, subconsciously stroking at the assassin's ring as she watched her lover. 

Once Evie had finished dressing she dashed back over to Lucy and took her in her arms once more, "I love you." she whispered, as Lucy gazed at her. 

"See you tonight," said Evie, as she headed for the window. 

Before Lucy had chance to look around or even reply, Evie was gone. Lucy sat in her bed looking at the ring on her finger. 

"I love you too, my darling Evie." said Lucy, smiling. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

It was almost 9 am when Evie finally made her way back onto the Rooks' home and although most of the Rooks who had installed themselves on the train were already awake, it was all too apparent that Jacob was not. Or so it had seemed. 

Evie walked through into the next carriage to find Jacob slumped in his favourite armchair, his top hat pushed down over his eyes. 

"Don't think that you are leaving this train again without an explanation." Jacob mumbled, from under his hat. Jacob placed his hat down on the side table and looked at his Sister. 

"I knew it was you, Evie. Those high-heeled shoes of yours don't really lend themselves to stealth on wooden floors." said Jacob, getting to his feet. 

Evie could feel her temperature rising as her brother looked at her. She clasped her hands behind her back in a bid to hide Lucy's ring but that wasn't what was going to give her away. 

"Whose perfume is that?" Jacob asked, having noticed the floral aroma that surrounded his twin. 

"It's- mine." lied Evie, trying her best to keep straight faced. 

"Evie, you hate wearing feminine fragrances almost as much as you hate wearing dresses." said Jacob. ..... "You are also a terrible liar!" 

Evie stood frozen to the spot. She would usually have an answer to match any situation but this time Evie had to admit that she was all out of ideas. 

"Why are you holding your hands behind your back?" Jacob asked, puzzled. 

"No reason." replied Evie, nervously. 

Jacob suddenly grabbed at his Sister's left arm, taking Evie completely by surprise. 

"What's this?" asked Jacob, noticing the Templar ring on Evie's finger. "Evie, whose ring is this?" 

Evie Frye suddenly felt as if the colour was draining from her cheeks. She hadn't been prepared for this. She had been sure that she would have had more time. Why did Jacob have to become so observant all of a sudden. 

"I found it." said Evie, yet another falsehood that Jacob could see through immediately. 

Jacob could see that it was a woman's ring and although there were quite a number of women within the Templar order, there were only a handful of women who held a position of rank worthy of wearing a ring. The band was gold, Jacob knew that gold rings were given only to members of high rank, apart from the Grand Master Starrick himself. That could only mean one thing, one person, Lucy Thorne. 

"Please tell me that I am imagining this?" said Jacob. "Please tell me that that isn't the ring of the Templar lieutenant, that is unless... Evie, is Thorne dead?" 

"No," Evie simply replied. 

The Frye girl could hear her heart beating in her ears. 

"Evie, have you been..." Jacob's words trailed off as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "That is Thorne's perfume!" Jacob suddenly blurted out. "Evie, it's all over you!" 

"Jacob, please calm yourself," pleaded Evie, gripping onto her Brother's arms. 

"I will NOT calm myself," shouted Jacob, as he began to pace up and down the carriage. 

As if things couldn't have gotten any worse, Jacob noticed the absence of the assassin ring on Evie's hand. 

"Where is your ring?" Jacob muttered under his breath. 

Evie braced herself. She may as well tell her Brother the truth, what did it matter now? 

"I gave it to Lucy," replied Evie, calmly. 

Jacob dragged his right hand down his face in disbelief. 

"You have betrayed the Brotherhood." said Jacob. 

"What?" shouted Evie in shock. "I have given my ring to the woman I LOVE! How is that a betrayal. I am an assassin!" cried Evie. 

"You are in love with that woman? I cannot believe that I am hearing this!" Jacob exclaimed. 

"We never meant for any of this to happen but Lucy and I love each other and now we must try and make the best of a bad situation." said Evie. 

"A bad situation? I don't know how it could get any worse!" said Jacob, looking at his Sister with a dejected expression. 

Jacob turned his back on Evie and through gritted teeth he uttered the words, "Get out, go to your Templar mistress!" 

"Jacob-" Evie began, trying to reason with her Brother. 

"I said GET OUT!" Jacob bawled. 

In that moment, Evie made a decision that would change the course of her life forever, she wasn't going to make her feelings known though, not yet. 

Evie ran, alighting the train as quickly as she could. She needed to get to Lucy. She needed to be in her lover's arms.


	2. For Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rift has formed between the Frye twins. Evie makes a decision about her future which would have far reaching consequences.

[](https://imgur.com/LpE9qi3)

Evie couldn't return to the Tower, not in broad daylight in any case. She didn't want to run the risk of being captured. It would have to wait until nightfall. 

The young woman elected to spend a few hours idly propping up the bar in some tavern or other, although Evie was sensible enough to make sure that she selected a drinking establishment that was not usually frequented by the Rooks. 

Evie sat down in a quiet corner stall and grasped at her tankard of ale with both hands. To hell with keeping a clear head, she didn't care after the morning that she had had. It was strange to think that within the span of just a few short hours, she had gone from lying in the arms of the woman she loved to being exiled by the one person in the world whom she thought would always be by her side. 

Evie took a large swig of her alcoholic beverage, trying to numb her ever sharp senses, if only just a little. She stared at her pocket watch trying to make out the time of day, her vision starting to blur as the alcohol took hold of her. 

"Two more hours," Evie muttered to herself. 

The Frye girl put her feet up on the bench and tried to make herself comfortable. 

"Two- more- hours-" said Evie, yawning loudly. 

The young brunette fell unconscious through a mixture of exhaustion and the overwhelming need to forget her present predicament. 

\------------------------------------------------------ 

Lucy Thorne sat at her desk, she was combing through a seemingly endless mountain of documents and manuscripts looking for a specific piece of information regarding the location of the Shroud. 

"It has to be here somewhere!" Lucy barked in frustration. 

The Templar lieutenant slammed her right fist down hard on to her desk, the vibration causing a chain reaction that made her teacup jolt, spilling at least half of the contents across her paperwork. 

"Damn it!" Lucy shouted, suddenly getting up from her seat and pushing the papers aside, causing great piles of parchment to fly into the air. 

"Doesn't anyone do any work around here?" Lucy shouted. "GUARD!" 

A Templar guard came running into the room at the sound of Thorne's voice. 

"Yes, Miss Thorne?" asked the guard, nervously. 

The Templar lieutenant didn't even face the guard as she addressed him. 

"Bring me some more tea!" Thorne barked. ...."and clean up this mess!" 

"Yes, Miss Thorne. Right- right away." the guard stammered, as he bowed at his superior and backed out of the room. 

Lucy walked over to the window and looked out. The redhead stood swirling Evie's assassin ring on her finger. "I need you, Evie." 

She sat down on the window seat and waited for the guard to return. 

\------------------------------------------------------ 

It was dusk when Evie finally emerged from the drinking den. The cool evening air hit the young woman's face, bringing some welcome relief for her alcohol ridden, sleep fuddled mind. 

"For her." Evie whispered to herself, as she deployed her rope launcher and leapt to the rooftops. 

Evie could always make short work of distances and this time was no exception. If anything, she covered ground even faster because of her objective. All that she could think about was Lucy Thorne. 

Evie soon found herself at the Tower's perimeter wall. Her heart began to beat faster at the thought of the woman who was now only mere metres away from her. The wall was soon dealt with and the young brunette moved on to the matter of the Templar guards. Evie concentrated, harnessing the power of her eagle vision. Evie smiled to herself, all she needed to do was keep to the rooftops and then swiftly and silently slip in through the window to Lucy's chambers. Too easy. 

She was almost there. 

Lucy heard the tap on her window. She felt the heat rise through her body with the anticipation of just who it was who was gripping on to the window ledge. Rushing to the window, Lucy pulled back the curtain ever so slightly, just enough to see the silhouetted figure of a young woman. Lucy reached out with her right hand, grabbing for her and helping her to climb into the room. 

That was when Evie Frye felt every muscle in her tense body finally relax as she swept Lucy into her arms. 

"Oh, my darling." Evie breathed out into Lucy's left shoulder. 

Lucy clung to Evie as if she hadn't seen her in years, "I've missed you so much." 

The redhead was suddenly aware of the fact that Evie had started crying and pulled back to look at her. 

"Evie, what is it? What's happened?" asked Lucy with concern. 

Evie didn't speak for a moment, she broke away and wandered around the room before setting herself down on the side of the bed. 

My _dear_ brother has called me a traitor and effectively banished me from the Brotherhood. 

"What?" said Lucy in shock, as she sat down at Evie's side and Evie rested herself against her. "Why would he-" 

Because, he saw that I was wearing your ring and had relinquished mine," Evie cut in. 

"But that doesn't mean that you are a traitor." said Lucy, holding Evie close to her. 

"It does in Jacob's eyes." replied Evie. "Well, I've got news for him." 

"What do you mean?" asked Lucy, puzzled. 

"I never had a choice when I was admitted to the Brotherhood" said Evie, "It was thrust upon me at birth. Well now I _can_ make a choice and if Jacob says that I am no longer an assassin, then I have no loyalty to the cause." 

"Just what are you saying, Evie?" asked Lucy. 

Evie looked deeply into Lucy's dark eyes. 

"I'm saying that I can make a choice for once and I choose to join the Templar order." said Evie. 

"What? Are- are you sure?" asked Lucy, in surprise. 

"My mind was made up as soon as I left the train this morning. Assassins or Templars, what's the difference? We all want the same things, we just go about acquiring them differently. I want to fight beside you...." 

"I shall request an audience with Crawford first thing tomorrow, that is.. if you're sure." said Lucy. 

Evie kissed Lucy's hands and held her close, "....and for tonight, I want to _sleep_ beside you." 

The young brunette lay Lucy down on the bed and held her. 

"I didn't choose to fall in love with you, Lucy." said Evie, stroking Lucy's face, "But I do choose to love you. Just as I am choosing to join the Templars now." 

"May the Father of understanding guide us," whispered Lucy, as she pulled Evie towards her for a kiss. 

"I love you," said Evie, breathlessly. 

\--------------------------------------------------- 

It was barely 6am. Jacob Frye was deep in thought as he strolled along the station platform just as the sun was beginning to rise. He had temporarily abandoned the train in favour of some space, the train had become far too claustrophobic recently. 

"Mr. Frye!" shouted one of the Rooks, as he ran towards the male assassin. 

"What is it, lad?" asked Jacob, furrowing his brow. 

The young man struggled to catch his breath as he tried to speak. "There is…still no sign of Miss Frye…,Sir." Jacob looked pensive, "But…." the young man continued, "A rumour has been circulating that the Templars are about to add a highly prized acquisition to their ranks. 

"Just what are you trying to say, Rook?" Jacob scowled. 

"Nothing Sir," said the young man, backing away. "I'm just telling it as it is." 

Jacob exhaled sharply, "Alright, you can go." said Jacob, waving his right hand dismissively. 

"Surely, it can't be?" said Jacob, under his breath. "It can't _possibly_ be- Evie!" 

\---------------------------------------------------------- 

Evie awoke early. She wanted to make sure that she looked presentable for her meeting with the Grand Master. The young brunette sat on the edge of the bed and stretched, her movements causing Lucy to stir from her sleep. The redhead put her right arm out to grab for Evie but was met with the empty side of the bed. 

"Come back to bed, Evie." said Lucy, sleepily. "I want to hold you." 

"I need to get ready," replied Evie, as she jovially reached across the bed and kissed her lover. 

Lucy was suddenly wide awake. "What time is it?" she asked, noticing that it was already light outside. 

Evie swiped her pocket watch off the side table, "It's a little after half past six." 

"I suppose that I may as well get up then," replied Lucy. "Crawford is an early riser, I should be able to see him in about an hour or so." 

Lucy turned to Evie. "Darling, are you quite sure that you want to do this?" she asked. "I don't want you to think that you have to join the Order because you are with me. I love _you_ Evie Frye, regardless of whether you are an assassin, a Templar or something else entirely." 

"My mind is made up, Lucy." Evie replied softly, as she kissed the redhead's left hand. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------- 

Lucy Thorne walked through the oak panelled hallways on her way to Crawford Starrick's study. The Templar lieutenant smiled to herself as she thought of Evie and all of the things that she hoped that they would accomplish together. The redhead smirked, "I hope you are ready for this, Crawford." she said under her breath. "I'm about to make your day." 

"Please inform Mr. Starrick that I am here to see him," said Lucy, sternly. 

"Yes, of course, Miss Thorne." replied the guard posted outside Starrick's room. "But I should warn you, Mr. Starrick may not be in a very responsive mood. He asked not to be disturbed." 

"Announce me," said Lucy, in a low and aggressive tone. _"Now."_

The guard knocked on the Grand Master's door, "Yes, what is it?" asked an exasperated sounding Starrick. 

"Miss Thorne is here to see you, Sir." replied the guard. 

Starrick sighed, "Alright," said Starrick, in a dejected tone of voice. "Admit her." 

"Very good, Sir." replied the guard. 

"Ma'am," said the guard, as he opened the door for Lucy. 

Thorne strutted through the door, not giving the guard a second glance as he closed the door behind her. 

"Good morning, Crawford." said Lucy, as she walked further into the room. 

Crawford Starrick was standing over by the window and turned to acknowledge Lucy as she approached him. 

"I fail to see just what is so _good_ about it, Miss Thorne." muttered Starrick. "The assassin's have the key and we are no closer to finding out the Shroud's location." 

"What if I told you that we have a potential new recruit who can help us in our cause," said Lucy, barely able to contain her excitement. "A young woman who has had many years of direct contact with the assassin order and can help us retrieve the key." 

"Who is this person, Miss Thorne." asked Starrick, his mood becoming more buoyant at the possibility of gaining access to the key. 

"Miss Frye." Lucy answered, with a sly grin. 

Starrick was suddenly wide-eyed with amazement. 

"The assassin? Wha- Miss Thorne, are you being quite serious?" 

"Quite," Lucy replied, resting her hands on Starrick's desk. That was when the Templar Grand Master noticed the assassin's ring on Lucy's finger, he didn't ask any questions. 

"Miss Frye has abandoned the brotherhood… or more to the point her Brother abandoned her the day that she gave me her ring. She wishes to be of use to the Order. I will vouch for her, Crawford. I would trust Miss Frye with my life." 

"That was a passionate address, Miss Thorne." said Starrick, as he walked around his desk to sit down. "Very well, bring Miss Frye before me. Shall we say, in one hour?" 

"Very good, Crawford. I shall see to it that she is ready." said Lucy. 

"In one hour then." said Starrick, as Lucy nodded at her superior and took her leave of him. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Evie?" Lucy called, as she returned to her rooms. "Are you prepared? Starrick has agreed to meet with you. He said an hour and half of that is almost-" 

Lucy stopped mid-sentence as Evie emerged from the adjoining dressing room. 

The former assassin had had to cobble together an appropriate outfit from the clothing that she had been wearing when she had left the train. The results of her endeavours took Lucy's breath away. 

Evie had stripped herself of her cumbersome outer clothing. Lucy took in the sight of her from toe to top, her signature high-heeled boots, her devilishly tight trousers. She worn a simple white shirt with the sleeves at mid length and a dark waistcoat and her hair…. 

Evie had taken her hair out of the tight braids and let it fall down over her strong shoulders. 

"Well?" asked Evie, noticing that Lucy had temporarily lost the power of speech. "How do I look?" 

"You look……like a Templar," said Lucy, on the verge of tears at the sight of the woman in front of her. 

"I want to show that I trust the Grand Master, so I'm not carrying any weapons." said Evie, "It certainly makes a change." she said with a shrug. 

"Good luck, my darling." whispered Lucy, as she took Evie in her embrace. "May the Father of understanding guide you." 

"May he guide us both, Lucy." Evie replied. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------ 

"Miss Thorne,….Miss…Frye" the guard stuttered, "Mr. Starrick is expecting you." The guard opened the door and Evie walked through into the grand chamber, with her lover close behind her. 

Starrick stood up from his desk as the two women entered. Evie crossed the room to stand directly in front of the Grand Master. Evie knelt down before him. "I am your obedient servant," said Evie, her eyes not wavering from the floor. "I am yours to command." 

Starrick looked across at Lucy and gave her a sly smile. 

"Please rise, Miss Frye." said Starrick. "Miss Thorne has given me a glowing report about you. I can see that you shall indeed be a valuable asset to the Order. She has also informed me that you can help us acquire the key to the Shroud. 

"Yes Sir, I am ready and at your disposal." said Evie, standing to attention in front of the Grand Master. 

"I suppose that only leaves one formality to contend with before you go about your duties." said Starrick, gesturing to the guard beside him. The man returned with a silver tray bearing a Templar armband and a gold ring which bore the Templar insignia. 

Evie dropped to her knees and held out her left hand to receive the ring. 

"With this ring I invest you into the Templar order. You will solemnly swear to uphold the honour of the Order and fight for our cause no matter what the cost. Please stand, Commander Frye." said Starrick. Evie got to her feet as Starrick took the Templar armband in his grasp. "May the Father of understanding guide you, Commander." said Starrick, as he placed the armband on Evie's left arm. 

"May he guide us all," Evie replied. 

Lucy crossed the room and came to Evie's side. 

"Well, I trust that you can show the Commander the ropes, Miss Thorne. said Starrick. "I take it that you have already provided her with suitable accommodation." he said, giving Lucy a knowing look. 

"Thank you, Sir." said Evie, as she and Lucy turned to leave. 

"Not at all, Commander." said Starrick "Oh and Miss Thorne, the key can wait for a couple of hours, I'm sure." said the Grand Master, as he turned his attention to some papers. 

Lucy and Evie looked at each other as they left Starrick's study, "So what are your plans for the next few hours, 'Commander Frye'?" said Lucy. 

"I don't know, you tell me, Miss Thorne." 

Evie suddenly stopped in her tracks, "I almost forgot." she said. 

"What are you doing?" asked Lucy. 

"You'll see," Evie replied. 

She took the Templar ring from her finger before putting Lucy's ring back in its place. "Now give me that dreadful ring. I never want to see it again." 

Lucy removed the assassin insignia from her finger before Evie replaced it with her own Templar ring. 

"Now I have your ring and you have mine," said Evie "And this…" she said, looking at the assassin ring in her hand. "This can be consigned to history." 

With that, Evie threw the ring on the ground and walked away. 

\------------------------------------------- 

When Evie returned with Lucy to her living quarters, everything seemed different somehow. Evie felt different and the reality hit home that everything _would_ be different from that moment on. For the first time in her life, Evie Frye felt free. It was a strange kind of freedom but a freedom that had been born from knowing that she could make her own choices. She was a Templar and it filled her with an overwhelming sense of power. 

"I cannot believe that Starrick made me his third in command!" said Evie. 

"You are a very powerful individual, Evie. You have skills that the rest of us can only dream of." said Lucy, gently resting her hands on Evie's shoulders. "Starrick knows what you are capable of, that is why he gave you a high ranking position in the Order. Plus, of course it means that we shall be working together. 

Lucy put her arms around Evie and kissed her softly, "We will be unstoppable, Commander." 

You know, I have decided that I don't want to wait. I want to go and retrieve the key right now." said Evie. "That is, if it's alright with you, Lieutenant." 

Lucy smiled at Evie, looking at her through half-lidded eyes. "That sounds fine by me." Lucy replied. 

"Just one thing before we go though," said Lucy, as she unlocked a large wooden chest that stood at the foot of the bed. The redhead took something out and turned to Evie. "I want you to have this," said Lucy, "Just a little embellishment for your coat." she said, handing Evie the cloth item. 

It was a white shoulder drape, embroidered with a large red Templar insignia. Evie was speechless. 

"It was mine," Lucy continued, "I used to wear it but it has become a bit too impractical for me, plus, as you are always wearing cloaks, I thought- well." 

"It's perfect," said Evie, "Thank you." 

Evie began to walk off. 

"Where are you going?" asked Lucy. 

"To put it on," said Evie, running back to give Lucy a kiss on the cheek. "Back in a minute." 

When Evie reappeared, Lucy put her hands to her face in surprise as tears came to her eyes. 

"Now you really are a Templar, Commander." said Lucy softly, as Evie stood beside her and looked at herself in the Mirror. 

"Right, to work!" Evie exclaimed, after what seemed like the longest silence. "We will head in with reinforcements. Get a message to the Blighters in the area. Evie gathered her hidden blade, throwing knives and cane sword in readiness for her first outing as a Templar. 

"With your abilities, do we need reinforcements?" asked Lucy. 

Well, if nothing else they will serve as a distraction...and we are taking a carriage," said Evie. "We need to conserve our energy for the fight." 

"What makes you so sure that there will be any fight? " asked Lucy. 

"My Brother will not let that key go without some kind of a brawl, you can be sure of that!" said Evie, rolling her eyes. 

"Are you ready?" asked Evie, as she took Lucy in her arms and they pressed their foreheads together. 

"I'm ready and I love you." replied Lucy, looking into Evie's greenish blue eyes. 

"For the order," said Evie, softly, …."and for my love." 

The two women headed out, unsure of what to expect but knowing that they could not fail. 

\--------------------------------- 

Jacob Frye was at a loss. He was sure that his Sister had to be with the Templar lieutenant but he had no idea of how to get to her. He was also all too well aware of the fact that he had been the root cause of his Sister's disappearance. He could only hope the consequences didn't reach any further than that. 

"Boss!" shouted the Rooks' lookout from the roof of the train. 

Jacob leaned out of his carriage window, "Yes, what is it?" he asked. 

"There is a carriage approaching, Sir." said the Rook. The man squinted into the distance. "It appears to be driven by a Blighter." 

Jacob squared his flat cap on his head before alighting the train. 

"Bloody Templars," muttered Jacob. "Let me guess what they are after!" 

"Signal the lads!" Jacob shouted up to the lookout. 

"Right you are, Sir." replied the Rook. 

"If they are looking for a fight, we'll give them one." said Jacob, in a cocky tone. 

\-------------------------- 

"Pull over here," ordered Evie. 

"What are you doing?" asked Lucy. 

"They always keep a lookout posted. They will almost certainly know that a carriage was headed for them," said Evie. "We need to do the last bit on foot. That way we can sneak in through the back door, so to speak." 

"You see, this is why I love you." said Lucy. "You have all of the best ideas." 

The pair stepped out of the carriage and Evie took the lead, guiding Lucy past an array of railway buildings that had been long since abandoned and were scattered along the track some distance from the main terminal. 

"The train is usually stationed just around this corner." said Evie. 

"What if your Brother has ordered for the train to be relocated?" asked Lucy. "After all, if he knows that we have come for the key..." 

"My Brother relishes a fight too much," said Evie. "The train will be here." 

The two women crept further along the track and around the final corner. There, standing proud in the afternoon sunshine, was the train. 

Evie gave Lucy a smug look but said nothing. 

"Ready?" asked Evie. 

Lucy nodded back at her lover. The pair got to their feet and crept onto the platform. Just as they were about to take another step, their reinforcements arrived in the shape of a dozen or so Blighters. 

Evie addressed the assembled band of Blighters, keeping her voice only just above a whisper. They didn't want their cover blown. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we shall take back what is rightfully ours. Your task is simple," said Evie, "if you see any Rooks, kill them but leave Jacob Frye to me." 

"Lets go," said Evie. 

The group crept onto the platform and readied themselves. This was where all the skill that Evie had acquired as an assassin would now be used against those she had once fought beside. 

The Frye girl crept onto the train, using her stealth to maneuvre her way through the hideout undetected. Any unsuspecting Rook in her path was swiftly and mercilessly dispatched. 

"That's what you get for trying to use the element of surprise." snarled Evie. 

Lucy and the Blighters stayed outside, waiting for any stragglers who might escape but they saw no one. The Rooks were all dead. 

Lucy saw Evie stick her head out of a carriage window. 

"There's the Commander, come on." Lucy signalled to the group of Blighters as she scrambled to her feet. "Nice work, Evie." Lucy whispered. 

Evie briefly alighted the train and stood watch as Lucy and the Blighters boarded the hideout. 

That was when Jacob finally heard something and went to investigate. What he found was carnage, his loyal followers lying in a pool of blood, with Lucy Thorne and the band of Blighters in the midst of them. 

"Good day, Mr. Frye." said Lucy. "Do you care to tell us where the key is." 

Jacob couldn't understand it. He could tell just by looking at the fallen Rooks that their injuries had been inflicted not by Thorne or a thuggish gang but by someone else entirely. It was more like the work of a trained assassin, a thought that was an all too terrifying prospect. 

Then Jacob Frye felt as if he had woken up in his worst nightmare. He recognised the familiar sound of high heeled shoes on the train steps. He closed his eyes. He didn't want the blood chilling image to become a reality. 

Then, he heard his Sister's voice. 

"Hello....Jacob." 

Jacob gradually opened his eyes and slowly, his twin Sister came into focus. 

"E-vie?" Jacob stuttered in disbelief. "It can't be true. It can't be." 

"Where is the key?" asked Evie, squaring up to her Brother. 

"What?" asked a bemused Jacob, the look of terror in his hazel eyes becoming apparent. 

"Where is the key!" shouted Evie. 

"Where is my _Sister!_ " Jacob shouted back. 

"The assassin is dead." replied Evie, "You made sure of that." 

They were suddenly interrupted as a Blighter came back from the end carriage holding up the necklace that held the key. 

"Miss Thorne, Commander Frye, I've got it." he said. 

"Commander? Ha!" Jacob scoffed. 

"You aren't exactly endearing yourself to me, _Brother_. said Evie. "Nor have you got any better at putting things in a safe place. Thank you for that." 

"How could you do this, Evie?" asked Jacob. 

"No. How could you do this to _me_? Evie replied. "It didn't have to be like this. 

"You did all of this for- for her?" asked Jacob. 

"No, Jacob." said Evie, as she turned to leave. "I did all of this for me." 

Jacob ran at Lucy, "I will kill you with my bare hands, Thorne!" shouted Jacob. 

Evie immediately stepped back in front of Lucy to protect her, " _Don't_ you lay one hand on her, Jacob, or so help me I will kill you myself!" Evie shouted. 

"You wouldn't dare," said Jacob. 

"Don't tempt me." said Evie, through gritted teeth. 

"What shall we do with him, ma'am?" asked one of the Blighters. 

Evie scowled at her Brother, "Leave him to clean up the mess. We have got what we came for." she muttered. 

\--------------------------- 

It was late afternoon by the time that the two women finally made it back to their living quarters. 

"You were incredible, my brilliant Commander." said Lucy, taking Evie in her arms. 

Evie suddenly looked as if she was miles away. 

"Evie? Are you alright? asked Lucy. "About your Brother, I mean?" 

"My Brother is dead," said Evie. "Anyway aren't we supposed to be taking the key to Starrick or something?" she asked. 

"I'm sure that Crawford can spare us one moment longer." said Lucy, giving Evie a sly smile. "Besides, I want to congratulate you on your first mission, Commander." 

"I want you to command me," Lucy whispered. 

"By all means, Lieutenant." said Evie, as she kissed down Lucy's neck. "Now get undressed. That's an order." she whispered. 

"I need you so much, Lucy," said Evie. 

Lucy could feel Evie's teeth lightly scraping across her skin, the sensation making her go wild with pleasure. 

"I'm sorry but I think that I am going to have to disobey orders," said Lucy, cheekily. "I want to make love to you." she whispered. 

"Alright," said Evie, as she gazed into Lucy's dark brown eyes. "I will yield, just this once." 

"You won't regret it." replied Lucy, as she looked at Evie with a smile on her face.


	3. Evie Frye: Templar Commander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie sets out with two main objectives; Retrieve her research and destroy her Brother.
> 
> This is getting darker...

[](https://imgur.com/iBACtpS)

Evie and Lucy lay looking at each other. Enjoying each other's company. Feeling at peace in each other's arms. 

"Crawford is going to be over the moon when he gets our message," said Lucy, her eyes diverting to the pattern of freckles across Evie's shoulders. The Templar lieutenant gently put her lips to Evie's left shoulder, she couldn't help herself. 

Lucy smiled to herself as she heard soft keening moans escape from Evie's lips. 

"Lucy," Evie breathed out. 

The young brunette could feel shivers running down her spine as Lucy continued to caress her. 

"Stop," came the half hearted protest from the former assassin. 

"In a minute, darling." Lucy teased. 

Evie suddenly grunted. Turning around in the bed, she pinned Lucy down by her wrists. The young brunette's face lit up with a smile as she gazed at her lover. "You are impossible, Lucy Thorne." she said, with a slight giggle. "But I love you," said Evie, giving Lucy a quick kiss on her left cheek. 

"Right!" said Evie, releasing Lucy from her grasp and scrambling off the bed. "Back to business. We need to get dressed. We are bound to get a reply to our little memorandum shortly." she said, giving the redhead a more serious look. 

There was suddenly a knock at the door. 

"Speak of the devil," said Evie. 

"Miss Thorne, I have a message from Mr. Starrick." said the guard. 

"Please divulge whatever it is that Mr. Starrick has to say but please do so from out there," said Lucy, trying to sound austere but all too aware of her current state of undress. 

"Very good Ma'am." replied the guard. "Mr. Starrick is very pleased to receive your report and wishes to pay a visit to yourself and the Commander at your earliest convenience." 

Lucy and Evie looked at each other in a state of panic. 

"Please inform Mr. Starrick that we shall be pleased to receive him one hour from now." said Evie, calmly. 

"Very good, Commander." replied the guard, as he took his leave to report back. 

"You handled that well," said Lucy. 

"We need to get ready," said Evie, looking around the chamber. …."and we _need_ to clean up this mess!" 

\-------------------------------------------- 

Jacob was alone with nothing more than his thoughts to keep him company. The leader of the Rooks sat on the steps of the train with his head in his hands. He couldn't face going back in there. Not yet. 

That was when Jacob heard the sound of Henry Green's voice calling to him. The male Frye twin looked into the distance to see the Indian gentleman approaching. 

"Oh no." Jacob thought to himself. Now he would have to face the horror all over again. Henry would have to be told. The oh-so resilient Jacob Frye found it difficult to even get to his feet, the shock of Evie had seemingly drained him. 

"Mr. Frye!" Henry exclaimed, as he broke into a run along the platform. 

Henry was running so fast, that he almost collided with Jacob. 

The Indian assassin was struggling to catch his breath but he didn't need to ask Jacob anything, he could tell by looking at his red-rimmed eyes and his petrified expression. He knew that the rumours were true. 

"No," said Henry, in disbelief. "Jacob-?" 

Henry Green could have sworn that he heard Jacob's voice shaking as he began to speak. 

"What have you heard?" asked Jacob, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"The Rooks,…Miss…Frye?" said Henry. 

"I'm afraid that it's all true," said Jacob. "I haven't been able to go back in there since it happened and I don't have the strength to move them alone." 

"You mean-" Henry began. 

"They're still in there," said Jacob. "All those lads who chose to fight beside us, all-" 

Jacob started to break down. 

"Please calm yourself, my friend." said Henry. "Of course, I shall assist you." 

Henry Green was doing his best to maintain a veneer of calm but the truth was that he felt broken inside. 

"Are you quite sure that Miss Frye- ?" Henry began. Hoping against all hope that it couldn't be true. He didn't want to say the words. 

"I am afraid so, Henry." said Jacob, numbly. "I have seen it with my own eyes." 

"My Sister is…" Jacob paused, feeling as if he would choke on the words. 

…."A Templar." 

\---------------------------------------- 

"Please come in, Crawford," said Lucy, as a guard opened the door for the Grand Master. 

"Thank you, Miss Thorne." replied Starrick, walking into the room. 

Evie got to her feet as Starrick entered the chamber. The Frye girl was now dressed proudly in her full Templar regalia, a far cry from how she had looked earlier that evening when they had received Starrick's message. 

Evie walked over to greet Starrick with a swagger in her step, "Good Evening, Sir." she said. 

"It most certainly is, Commander." replied Starrick. 

Lucy grinned at Evie from across the room, "Would you like to do the honours, _Commander_? She said, with a sly wink. 

"Please, sit down, Crawford." said Lucy, ushering her superior towards a chair. "Drink?" asked the redhead, holding a decanter in her right hand. 

Evie unlocked a small safe that sat in the corner of the room and returned with the necklace. 

Starrick could only stare in awe as he gazed upon the key to the Shroud. He knew that he was one step closer. 

"You most certainly live up to your word, Commander." said Starrick, as he took the key in his grasp. 

"Oh and the Commander here has also dealt with our little Rook problem." said Lucy, as she strutted over to her lover. "They didn't stand a chance." 

"What of Frye?" asked Starrick, looking directly at Evie. 

"Death is too good for Jacob Frye," snarled Evie. "I mean for him to suffer, by watching everything that he holds dear crumble around him." 

Lucy poured three glasses of wine and handed one each to Starrick and Evie before taking up her own glass. 

"A toast" said Lucy. "To the Shroud!" she said, holding her glass aloft. 

"The Shroud!" Starrick and Evie said in unison. 

Lucy sneakily looked at Evie from over the top of her wine glass. The Templar Commander gave her lover a sly smile in reply. 

"This has indeed been a very productive day." said Starrick. 

"And tomorrow shall be even more so," said Evie, taking a sip of wine. 

"How do you mean, Commander?" asked Starrick, in anticipation of Evie's answer. 

"I had previously stumbled across some papers which gave some indication as to the whereabouts of the Shroud." said Evie. "Unfortunately, all of my research is still on board the train. I will need to retrieve it." 

"Very well," replied Starrick. "Take whatever resources you need. They are at your disposal." 

"Thank you, Sir." said Evie. "It always infuriated me that my Brother belittled my dedication to my studies." she continued. "Now I see that it was a blessing in disguise because he won't have given my documents a second thought." 

"We are almost there," said Lucy, smiling. 

"Make sure that you hold on to this one, Miss Thorne." said Starrick, gesturing towards Evie. 

"I have every intention of doing so, Crawford." replied Lucy, as she looked at Evie. "You have my word." 

Starrick nodded his approval but said nothing. 

"I shall leave you to your preparations," said Starrick, walking towards the door. "May the Father of understanding guide you in your endeavours. Good Evening to you both." 

Starrick took his leave of the two women, the key to the Shroud now hanging safely around his neck. 

Evie leaned up against the door as it closed behind the Grand Master. 

"The Rooks days are numbered," said Evie, as she looked into Lucy's dark eyes. 

...."and the Assassins shall cower before us." replied Lucy. "I know that you will see to that." 

Evie suddenly found herself being pressed up against the door, as Lucy held her. "We shall rule over London together, my darling." she said, as she captured Evie's lips with her own. 

"Just a moment," said Evie, placing a finger against Lucy's now swollen lips. 

The Templar Commander opened the door, "Guard! In here!" Evie bellowed. 

The guard walked quickly into the room and stood to attention in front of Evie. 

"Yes, Commander." said the guard, saluting. 

Evie began to circle the Templar guard as she proceeded to relay her orders. 

"We are to attack the Rooks' train at sun up." said Evie. "The Lieutenant and I shall require as many men as you can muster." 

"Yes, Commander." The guard Replied. 

"That is all for now. Your orders shall be given in full first thing tomorrow morning" said Evie, giving the guard a steely glare. 

"Very good, Commander." said the guard, as he went about his duties. 

"I swear that they are more afraid of you than they ever were of me," said Lucy, pulling Evie into her arms. 

"You're just a big pussycat, Lucy." said Evie, cheekily. 

Lucy merely smiled, "You need to get some rest, my darling. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." 

"We shall cast aside the shadows together and bring control back to this great city!" said Evie, as she stroked at Lucy's cheeks with her thumbs. 

"I will stand by your side no matter what," said Lucy. "Tomorrow will be another great victory!" 

"I love you so much, Lucy." said Evie, as she wrapped her arms around the redhead and held her close. 

\-------------------------------------------- 

Jacob was looking at the noticeboard of Templar associates. The young assassin stared at the wall with a vacant expression on his face. His emotions were shredded. He had just added the portrait of another prominent Templar target to the board. That is what threw him, he was looking at a portrait of his own twin Sister. Frye leaned up against the desk mentally exhausted. 

"I never thought that I would see the day," whispered Jacob, as tears began to fall down his cheeks. "Evie." 

Henry slowly walked into the carriage and noticed his friend's distress. 

"I shall stay on board tonight, if that is what you want?" said Henry, gently. 

Jacob gave Henry a weak smile, "I would appreciate that Henry, thank you. I don't think that I can bare being on my own at the moment. This train is haunted with too many memories." 

"I shall be in the adjoining carriage should you need any assistance." replied Henry. 

Jacob knew what he was saying to him. 

" _I don't want to be on my own. I cannot reconcile what we know to be true with the Evie Frye whom we have known, trusted. Loved. She was my shining star and I don't think that my heart will ever recover. I close my eyes and all I see is her smile. All I hear is her laugh. All I feel is my pain. I loved her."_

Jacob propped his feet up on the desk and leaning back in his chair, he pulled his hat down over his eyes and tried to sleep. 

\------------------------------------------- 

It was a little past 5 am. Evie and Lucy were preparing themselves for the task ahead. The redhead stood in front of the dressing table mirror, tying her luscious hair back into it's trademark bun. 

Evie was making some last minutes checks to her weapons, placing the belt which held her many throwing knives securely around her slender waist. 

Lucy turned to her lover as she finished up at the mirror. 

"Ready?" asked Lucy, looking straight into Evie's greenish blue eyes. 

"Ready." replied Evie, giving Lucy a sly smile. "Have you got your dagger?" she asked. 

"Of course," said Lucy, pointing to her right boot. 

"Let's go and inspect the rabble that will be assisting us, shall we?" replied Evie. 

Evie gently rested her hands on Lucy's shoulders and looked into her dark brown eyes. "Stay safe, my darling. May the Father of understanding guide you." she said. 

"May he guide us both, Evie." replied Lucy. 

\----------------------------------- 

Evie and Lucy accompanied walked side by side into the Tower courtyard to inspect the Templar guards who would be assisting them. The eight or so men stood to attention in the early morning light, all proudly displaying the Templar insignia and their allegiance to the Templar order. 

Upon their arrival, the two women were greeted by the Captain of the guard. 

"The men are ready, Commander, Miss Thorne." said the Captain, nodding towards both women in turn. "Mr Starrick wanted to make sure that you had his best men at your disposal." 

"Excellent," replied Evie. "Please relay our grateful thanks to Mr Starrick for his generous offer." 

"Very good, Commander." replied the Captain. 

"You may go about your duties, Captain." said Evie, "We shall take it from here." 

The Templar Captain came to attention before leaving Evie and Lucy to direct the guards. 

"Men, our objective is simple." said Evie, as she addressed the group. "We will board the Rooks' hideout and retrieve the papers that are rightfully the property of the Order!" A cheer began to erupt among the men before Evie had finished her announcement. "Once we are in possession of the documents we shall send a clear message to Jacob Frye and any misguided fools who choose to follow him - by burning the train to the ground!" 

Evie held her right arm aloft, "May the Father of Understanding guide you all!" 

Evie turned to Lucy and saw that the redhead was regaling her with rapturous applause. 

"To the carriages!" called Evie. 

"Jacob isn't going to know what hit him." said Evie, as she and Lucy headed for their transport. 

...."This is going to be fun." 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Jacob was already awake as the sun came through the window shutters of the carriage, bathing the train in a glow that seemed eerie somehow, in the assassin's mind at least. He felt more tired than he had done when he tried to sleep the night before. He had tossed and turned in his chair all night, not giving his shattered mind a moment's rest. The truth was that Jacob Frye couldn't sleep. All the assassin could see when he closed his eyes was the vision of his Sister and the way that she had looked at him. Her eyes were soulless. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Evie sat next to Lucy as they advanced towards the train in their own private carriage. 

"You are relishing this, aren't you, my darling?" asked Lucy, noticing the look of determination on Evie's face. 

"I want to make my Brother pay for what he did to me!" replied Evie. 

"You will, Evie. You will have your revenge and then once we have the Shroud we shall bring London to its knees!" said Lucy. 

Evie looked into Lucy's eyes and stroked at the Lieutenant's face. Then the brunette's eyes lowered to Lucy's lips. 

"A kiss for luck," whispered Evie, as she took the redhead in her arms. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Henry Green was suddenly awoken by the sound of a loud thud on the roof of his carriage. The 'Ghost of London' came running through to where Jacob was now standing, wide awake and looking up at the train roof, holding a kukri in his right hand. 

"Just what the hell was that?" said Jacob. 

There were more loud thuds on the roof all along the length of the hideout. 

"That did _not_ sound good." said Jacob. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Lucy alighted from their carriage, followed closely by Evie. 

"Watch for anyone trying to leave!" Evie called to the Templars on the roof of the train. 

"Yes, Commander!" one of the guards replied. 

"Shall we?" said Lucy to Evie. 

"After you, Miss Thorne." replied Evie, gesturing towards the train. 

Lucy called up to the guards on the roof, "You may retrieve the documents now. The carriage to the rear of the train, remove everything that you can find!" 

"Yes, Ma'am." replied the guard, as he turned to instruct the group of Templars. 

The two women were unexpectedly stopped in their tracks as Jacob emerged from the train. 

"I should have known," Jacob mumbled. 

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," said Lucy. "You are somewhat outnumbered." 

"Since when has that even stopped me." said Jacob, grinning at the redhead. 

"I can handle him, don't worry." said Evie. 

"You flatter yourself, dear Sister." Jacob replied. 

Jacob broke into a run towards Evie and they clashed together. Evie caught her Brother across his left cheek with her brass knuckles, temporarily sending him off balance. 

"Out of Practice, dear Brother?" asked Evie, spitefully. 

Jacob suddenly swung around with his hidden blade drawn, catching Evie's side and leaving a slash mark down her leather coat. 

Evie gritted her teeth and lunged at Jacob with a throwing knife as he swung his fist towards her. Both missed their target. 

"You can't win, Jacob." said Evie, as she scowled at her Brother. 

Evie was suddenly taken unawares as her Brother pulled a pistol from his belt, "It's over, Evie." said Jacob, through gritted teeth. 

The Templar Commander was trying her best to remain calm but Jacob could see the look of panic that was penetrating his Sister's eyes. 

All of a sudden and completely without warning, Jacob felt a searing pain in his arm, causing him to lose grip on his firearm and the pistol fell to the floor. 

Evie looked beyond her Brother to see Lucy standing some paces behind him, her dagger now embedded in Jacob's upper arm as the assassin crumpled to the ground in pain. 

Evie smirked at her Brother as he clutched his arm, the golden dagger still protruding from it. 

"It has only just begun, dear Brother." said Evie, as she swiftly pulled Lucy's weapon from Jacob's arm. 

"Ahhhh!" Jacob cried out. The assassin ripped at his shirt sleeve, making a makeshift tourniquet in a bid to stem the bleeding. 

"Thank you," said Evie, handing Lucy back her now bloodstained dagger. 

They were then interrupted by the leader of the guard. 

"Commander, Miss Thorne, I am pleased to report that all the creates have been loaded onto the carriages," said the guard. "Oh..and we have Green under guard on board. He is presently unconscious." 

"Excellent work," replied Evie. "We shall see to it that you and your men are commended for your work." 

"Thank you, Commander." said the guard, as he came to attention. "Any further orders or shall I tell the men to stand down?" 

Lucy and Evie looked at each other, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lucy asked Evie. 

Then Evie gave the simple order, "Burn the train!" 

"Very good, Commander." said the guard, as he turned on his heels. 

The guards boarded the train once more and began the task of setting fires in each of the carriages. 

"What shall we do about him?" one of the Templar guards asked, noticing that Henry was still slumped in the front carriage. 

"Leave him." replied the guard's colleague. 

The final fire was lit and the guards made good their exit from the train. 

"All is set, Commander." said the guard. 

"Excellent," replied Evie. "Make ready to depart." 

Evie led Lucy back to their transport. The former Assassin began to breathe freely again at the realisation that they had accomplished their mission but she was aware that it had been a close shave that had been all too close for comfort. 

As they climbed into their carriage and the door was closed behind them, Evie flung her arms around Lucy's neck and held her close, "Thank you." Evie gasped into Lucy's left shoulder. The brunette sat back in her seat and looked at Lucy. "See, I told you to make sure that you had your dagger." 

"Let's go home," replied Lucy. 

The carriages disappeared into the distance. 

Jacob was drifting in and out of consciousness. He could barely keep his eyes open as he tried to pull himself off the floor, using only his left arm to steady himself. It was then that the assassin thought that he could smell burning. 

_BANG!_ An explosion tore through Evie's old sleeping quarters, ripping a hole in the side of the train. 

Jacob stumbled to his feet, unbelieving of the destruction that was unfolding before his eyes. 

"Henry?" the assassin suddenly thought to himself, realising that he must still be on the train. "Oh my God, HENRY!" Jacob screamed at the top of his lungs. 

Jacob knew what he had to do.


	4. Downfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob's world is falling apart. Evie takes matters into her own hands and Lucy receives some unexpected news.

"Jacob?" came the confused voice of Henry Green. "What happened?" 

Henry came to on the couch in the back room of his shop. He was completely disorientated, how on earth did he get here? 

The Indian assassin suddenly heard the male Frye twin hiss through his teeth as he poured some medical alcohol on the open wound on his left arm. 

Henry felt as if he was in a dream state. He couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on. The last thing that he could remember was being overpowered by a group of Templars on the train. Then everything had gone black. 

Jacob gritted his teeth as he began to stitch his arm. 

"Jacob, why are we in my shop? What happened?" asked the bemused Henry. 

"My Sister happened," Jacob replied. "I only just managed to get us out of the train with our skins." 

"What do you mean?" asked Henry. 

"The train is gone, the Templars destroyed it." Jacob replied, as he finished stitching his arm and tied off the thread. 

"What?" said Henry in disbelief. 

"We have lost everything," said Jacob. "Our base, all our money, apart from the few coins that I have in my pockets. The Templars took anything of value and destroyed the rest." 

"What happened to your arm?" asked Henry, trying to comprehend what Jacob had just told him. 

"Oh, I had a bit of a run-in with Thorne's dagger." replied Jacob. "I'll be fine, well, physically at least." 

The assassin slumped down onto the couch beside Henry. 

"We have lost everything but our lives," muttered Jacob, as he stared at the floor. "...and it's all thanks to my Sister." 

"You mean, all of this-?" began Henry. 

"She planned it all," said Jacob, sighing heavily. "She would have known that you were still on the train when it began to burn." 

"She wouldn't have-" said Henry, alarmed by Jacob's statement. 

"Evie wouldn't have but that wasn't the work of my Sister," said Jacob. "They were the actions of a monster." 

"Get some rest," said Jacob, as he rose to his feet. "There is nothing that can be done for today. I need to figure out my next move but it appears that they hold all of the cards at the moment." 

"George was right. We never should have come to London." muttered Jacob, as he walked off into Henry's study. 

"What did you say?" called Henry. 

He wasn't going to receive a reply. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"You may put the crates down over there." said Lucy, pointing towards the far wall of the chamber. 

"Very good, Miss Thorne." replied the guard, as he went about directing the men and their precious cargo. 

The men placed the last of the crates down and turned around to acknowledge Thorne. 

"That will be all for now," said Lucy, waving her right hand dismissively at the guards. 

"Yes, Ma'am." replied the Templar guard, as he came to attention in front of Lucy before turning to leave the chamber. Evie didn't even notice when the Templar saluted her as he left. She had retreated into her own thoughts. 

"Evie?" said Lucy, in a questioning tone. 

The redhead could see the anguished look on her lover's face. The former assassin remained silent. Lucy crossed the room, closing the distance between them. Thorne reached out and gently placed her right hand against Evie's left shoulder. It was then that the young brunette finally crumpled at Lucy's touch. She took Lucy in her arms and held her as if the redhead was her only reason for staying alive. 

"Lucy," Evie gasped, as she kissed the woman in her arms. 

"What is it, my darling?" asked Lucy, looking directly into Evie's greenish blue eyes. "I can tell that something is troubling you." she said, as she gently caressed Evie's face with the tips of her fingers. 

"It's nothing." replied Evie, barely above a whisper. The former assassin looked down at where her Brother had slashed at her coat. 

"Jacob could have killed me, you know." said Evie. "If you hadn't been there, I-," the Templar commander's words trailed off as Lucy slowly kissed her. 

"I'm not so sure that your Brother would have gone through with it but I couldn't take any chances, I couldn't run the risk of losing you." replied Lucy, through the kiss. 

Lucy ran her fingers through Evie's hair and pulled the former assassin closer by the collar of her leather coat. 

"I need to rest," said Evie, turning her back on Lucy and dropping her battered leather coat to the floor. 

The young woman lay down on the bed, facing away from the Templar lieutenant. 

Lucy stood silently looking at her young lover as tears began to well up in her dark brown eyes. The redhead slowly crossed the chamber and gently lay down on the bed beside Evie. 

The redhead wrapped her right arm around her lover and suddenly heard the former assassin exhale. 

"Evie, please talk to me" pleaded Lucy. 

Evie turned to Lucy and gazed into her dark eyes. 

“I don’t wear the Templar symbol for glory or as an act of revenge against my Brother,” said Evie. “I wear it because I love you...but this is killing me." 

Evie wrapped her arms around Lucy and planted a soft kiss on the redhead's lips. Lucy immediately returned the brunette's kiss and felt Evie's grip on her become even tighter. Evie's kisses became all the more urgent as she pressed her lips more firmly against Lucy's. The redhead was finding it harder to breath under the intensity of her lover's kiss. Thorne finally managed to angle her head so that Evie's lips moved to her neck and she could catch her breath. 

Lucy reached out, taking Evie's face between her hands. 

"Evie, look at me. Please!" pleaded Lucy. 

The young brunette had her eyes closed, she couldn't bring herself to look at Lucy. 

Thorne pulled her young lover down against her so that Evie's head came to rest against her chest. 

"Do you hear that, Evie?" said Lucy. "My heart beats only for you and it will go on beating for you no matter what happens between us. Now please, talk to me!" 

The Templar lieutenant wrapped her arms tightly around Evie and pressed a kiss into the young woman's hair. 

That was when she heard Evie begin to breakdown. 

The former assassin lifted herself up so that she was level with Lucy's line of sight. Her tearstained eyes now turning red-rimmed and puffy. 

"I love you, my darling." said Evie, softly. 

The young woman rested her head in the crook of Lucy's neck. 

"It's too late to take it all back," said Evie, thinking aloud. "Jacob and I are through." 

"There is still a chance to make amends with your Brother," said Lucy, as she held Evie close to her. 

Evie looked deeply into Lucy's eyes as she stroked at the redhead's right cheek. 

"It's too late for that now," said Evie. "In any case, he cast me out." 

The young brunette moved suddenly, propping herself up on her right arm. 

"I suppose that I just needed to get all of this out of my system," said Evie, as she got up from the bed and walked over to the dressing table. 

The female Frye twin looked at her reflection in the mirror. 

"I am Evie Frye, a Commander of the Templar order." 

Evie saw Lucy's reflection come into view as the redhead came to her side. 

"Our enemies shall be swept aside and we shall take control of this great city," continued Evie, as she took Lucy in her arms. "May the Father of Understanding guide us, my darling." 

"I love you so much," replied Lucy. 

It was past midnight. Evie was sat at the desk, working only by the low light of a single oil lamp. The young woman turned in her seat to observe Lucy lying peacefully in the bed, her red hair glistening by the light of the lamp. "I've found it, Lucy." Evie whispered, as she smiled to herself. After hours of sorting through seemingly endless piles of documents, the former assassin held a small notebook in her hands. The location of the Shroud was in her grasp. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evie stirred from her sleep and turned over in the bed to face lucy. 

"Good morning, my darling." said Lucy, leaning down to give Evie a soft kiss on her forehead. 

"I've got a surprise for you," replied Evie, reaching under her pillow to retrieve the notebook. 

Lucy was suddenly wide eyed at the sight of the priceless item that was in Evie's grasp. 

"Evie, is that-?" said Lucy, cutting her words short. 

"The Shroud is in a vault beneath Buckingham Palace," replied Evie. 

"The Palace?" said Lucy, sitting up in surprise. "How on Earth are we supposed to get in there?" 

"I don't know yet but I'll think of something." replied Evie, as she rose from the bed. "I suppose that we should take this information to Starrick as soon as possible." 

"I'll let you be the bearer of the good news," said Lucy. 

"Are you sure?" replied Evie, turning around to face her lover. "We are equal in all of this remember." 

Lucy leaned across the bed and pulled Evie towards her. "I'm quite sure, _Commander._ " said Lucy, giving Evie a gentle kiss on her right cheek. 

Evie smiled back at the redhead, "In that case _Miss Thorne_ , I had better get dressed." 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Evie felt that she could never tire of seeing herself wearing her Templar regalia. The sense of power that it gave her was far beyond that that her assassin training could ever achieve. The Frye girl felt invincible. As the young brunette strode through the corridors of the Templar stronghold with the notebook grasped tightly in her right hand, she couldn't help but give a little smirk at seeing the guardmen cower in her presence. They were truly terrified of her, way more so than they could ever be of the Grand Master himself. 

Evie arrived at the door to Starrick's study and immediately addressed the Templar who was posted outside. The guard seemed somewhat agitated. 

"I wish to see Mr Starrick. I have some important information for him." said Evie, glaring at the man in front of her. 

"I'm s-sorry, Commander." the guard stammered out. "Mr Starrick cannot be disturbed." 

Evie could hear voices coming from within the chamber. It was obvious that Starrick was dictating a letter. 

"Commander, if you-," began the guard, before Evie interrupted him. 

"Quiet." replied Evie, putting a hand up to silence the guard. 

The guard began to feel beads of sweat run down his back as Evie listened in on the Grand Master. 

"I want this letter delivered to Miss Thorne immediately." said Starrick, barely looking up from his desk. "The research is sitting there ready for the taking. Both Miss Thorne and the Commander are now surplus to our requirements." 

Evie could feel her blood boil as she evesdropped on Starrick's conversation. 

"Stand aside." said Evie, through gritted teeth. 

The guard was glued to the spot in fear. "Stand aside or you will become an accessory to my blade." 

The Frye girl pushed the guard aside as if he were a ragdoll. The man hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud. 

Starrick got to his feet at hearing the commotion outside his door. 

The door suddenly swung open as if it was a piece of driftwood and Evie Frye came charging into the room. 

"What is the meaning of this, Commander!" shouted Starrick. 

The former assassin marched over to where Starrick was standing and noticed the letter that was lying on the Grand Master's desk. 

Evie took the letter in her right hand and waved it in Starrick's face. 

"No! What is the meaning of this!" replied Evie. 

Taking advantage of the situation, Starrick's valet made good his escape from the room, leaving Evie alone with the bemused Grand Master. 

"Don't you dare even think about calling for assistance." said Evie, as she began to circle Starrick. 

Evie took the notebook from her pocket and held it up in front of her superior. 

"I came here to tell you that we have the information that will lead us to the Shroud." said Evie, as she watched Starrick's eyes begin to widen. "Now I find that you have betrayed us." 

Starrick stood defiant, "It's nothing personal." said Starrick. 

"I don't care if you betray _me_ but I simply will not allow you to hurt Lucy." Evie replied, as she squared up to the Grand Master. 

"Just what do you intend to do about it?" asked Starrick, with a sly expression on his face. 

Starrick wasn't going to receive a verbal answer. The Templar Grand Master suddenly felt a seering pain in his chest. Crawford Starrick's eyes went wide as he saw the flash of steel from Evie's hidden blade retract from his body. The stricken man dropped to his knees as he clutched at his chest. 

"No one hurts Lucy Thorne!" shouted Evie, as she stood over the dying Templar. 

"You were nothing without her." Evie muttered, as Starrick took his final breath. 

The Frye girl reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a white hankerchief before wiping it across the expired Grand Master, gathering up drops of the man's blood. 

"I suppose that old habits die hard." said Evie, as she placed the now bloodstained item back in her pocket. With the blood spattered letter in her grasp, Evie ripped the pendant from around Starrick's neck before heading back to Lucy. 

"Your reign is over, Mr Starrick." [](https://imgur.com/ncRrWfO)

"Evie! What the hell happened?" exclaimed Lucy, upon seeing the blood splatter on the young brunette's clothes as the young woman entered the chamber. 

"Read that," Evie replied, tossing the letter in Lucy's direction. 

"What?" said Lucy, as she took in the words in front of her. "Of all the double-crossing-" 

"You don't need to worry about Starrick," said Evie, throwing her blood spattered coat on a chair. "I have taken care of him." 

"What do you mean?" asked Lucy, puzzled. 

"No one crosses the woman I love." replied Evie, resting her hands on Lucy's shoulders and gazing into the redhead's eyes. 

"Evie, are you trying to tell me that-" began Lucy. 

The former assassin held up the item that she had been holding onto tightly. 

Lucy gasped, putting her hands to her mouth in shock as she saw Starrick's Templar insignia dangling in front of her. 

"This is our chance, no one in the Order would dare to challenge us." said Evie. 

The young brunette dropped to the floor and kissed Lucy's right hand. 

"I am at your command, Grand Master." said Evie, looking up into Lucy's dark brown eyes. 

"Evie, you are more powerful than I could ever be. You should be the one to lead us." said Lucy. 

"No. Lucy, you are the one who deserves this. I will be right by your side." replied Evie. 

Lucy smiled down at the woman she loved. "Arise, Commander." 

Evie got to her feet and felt Lucy's arms wrap around her almost immediately. 

"Thank you." whispered Lucy, as she rested her head against Evie's right shoulder. 

Evie pressed a kiss into Lucy's hair. "I would do anything for you, my love." 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The past week or so certainly had not been easy for Jacob Frye. 

The gang that he and his Sister had worked so tirelessly to build had all but been destroyed. There was nothing left of the life that the assassin had known and in that moment, Jacob was unsure whether or not he had the strength to start again. The strangest part of all of the recent events was that he felt like he was going through a bereavement and yet his twin Sister was still alive. In body at least. 

Jacob was dragging his heels as he walked through the borough of Whitechapel. His head was pounding and his arm still throbbed from the pain of the wound that Lucy Thorne's dagger had inflicted upon him. The male Frye twin hadn't eaten properly in two days but with very limited funds at his disposal he had to make a choice and for once Jacob's head was overruling his stomach. He desperately needed some laudanum to numb the pain, it was driving him to distraction. 

The young assassin's attention was suddenly taken by the sound of the newspaper seller. 

Frye scowled as he listened again to the paperboy's announcement. 

"What the-?" said Jacob, to himself, as he picked up speed and headed in the direction of the newspaper stand. 

"I'll take one, lad." said Jacob, signalling to the boy. 

He hadn't imagined what he heard. Jacob stood dumbstruck as he looked at the headline on the newspaper in his grasp. 

_'CRAWFORD STARRICK MURDERED. APPEARS TO BE WORK OF ASSASSIN.'_

Jacob's eyes became wide as the reality of the situation began to sink in. 

"Evie has killed Starrick?" Jacob mumbled to himself in disbelief. 

He knew that this could only mean one thing, that his Sister and Thorne would now be the two most powerful people in the Order. 

All thought of his pain and discomfort was almost erased from Jacob's mind as the enormity of the present situation took hold. Jacob suddenly found his train of thought interrupted as a procession of carriages came thundering down the street and came to a stop in the marketplace. Jacob hid behind some wooden crates as he watched a large band of Templars and Blighters alight from the carriages, carrying rolled up pieces of parchment. The young male assassin continued to observe the group as they began to nail notices to any wooden post that was in the vicinity. 

Then the woman whom Jacob had once called his Sister, came into view. Jacob could smell the stench of fear in the air as Evie addressed the cowering masses. 

"Crawford Starrick is dead! There is a new Order in this city. Abide by our rules and you will be treated well. If not, we shall assume that you side with the man who dares to call himself an assassin and you shall be hunted down!" Evie shouted. 

The Templar commander was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of her superior. 

The young brunette bowed down as Lucy Thorne arrived on the scene. 

Jacob could barely believe his eyes when he noticed Starrick's pendant hanging around the redhead's neck. 

"Thorne is Grand Master?" said Jacob, in shock, having expected Evie to have claimed the position for herself. 

He now realised that there was absolutely nothing that Evie wouldn't do for Thorne. If she could kill the Grand Master for her, then she wouldn't think twice about killing him. The male Frye twin knew that he would have to watch his back from now on, a few Blighters would be the least of his worries. 

Jacob made sure that the Templars had departed the area before he came out of the shadows. He crept up to one of the notices that had been posted around the area. 

_'REWARD OFFERED FOR ANY INFORMATION LEADING TO THE CAPTURE OF THE ASSASSIN, JACOB FRYE AND ANY OF HIS KNOWN ASSOCIATES.'_ \- By Order of: Lucy Thorne, Grand Master. /Commander Evie Frye. 

Jacob now knew that he would have to lay low. His Sister was after his blood.


	5. A New Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a new woman at the top of the Templar order. Evie loses it with Jacob and there's a bit of Thornye action ;) My Thornye trash continues.

For the attention of Mr Jacob Frye Esq.

I had done nothing against you, Jacob. You are the root cause of my anger and as such, the blood of the Rooks is on your hands. I simply fell in love and for that you sent me away. How could I not have anger towards you after what you have done? All of my actions since that day have been made of my own volition. I eliminated Starrick, not out of a lust for power but in retaliation for his betrayal of Lucy. I simply could not stand by and let him do that to the woman I love.

You really have no conception of what is happening here, do you? We shall take London and there is nothing that you can do to stop it. The Templars shall rule and you shall be destroyed.

I give you fair warning now, Brother. Leave the city and never return. If not, you shall meet your end much sooner than you would have anticipated. It didn't have to be this way but your stubbornly rigid allegiance to the Creed has left me with no choice. If you can't accept me because of who I love, then we are truly through and I must conclude that my Brother is indeed no more.

Your efforts to 'save' this city are futile. You cannot defeat the Order.

Commander Frye.

  
Lucy finished reading and put the letter back down on the desk.

"Are you quite sure that you want to send this?" asked Lucy, furrowing her brow. "I feel like the rift between you and your Brother is all my fault."

Evie looked up at Lucy as she sat on the end of the bed untying her boot laces.

"Lucy, I don't ever want you to think that!" Evie exclaimed. "This was all Jacob's doing. He only has himself to blame."

Lucy walked over to her lover and rested her hands on Evie's shoulders as the young brunette looked up from what she was doing.

Evie suddenly took Lucy by surprise, grabbing her around her waist and pulling her down on the bed.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Commander?" asked Lucy, with a laugh.

"I'm going to make love to you, my darling." replied Evie, as she rolled the redhead under her. The young brunette softly kissed Lucy's neck and heard the woman moan loudly in response.

"I love you, Lucy Thorne." said Evie.

"Evie." said Lucy, breathlessly, as she locked lips with the former assassin once more.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy awoke with a start. It was dark. The room was still bathed in a dim light from the oil lamp on the desk. The Templar slowly got up from the bed, taking care so as not to wake Evie and crept around to Evie's bedside cabinet to check the time on the young brunette's pocket watch. It was too dark for Lucy to make out the time so she took the watch over to the desk and held it near to the lamp.

It was only a little after midnight.

The redhead carefully placed the watch back and made her way to her side of the bed. Lucy slowly began to lay down again, still being mindful of her movements. She needn't have bothered.

"Lucy, are you alright?" came Evie's muffled tones, as the brunette turned around in the bed.

"Sorry, darling." replied Lucy. "I was trying not to wake you."

"You know that I'm a light sleeper." said Evie. "It's all those years of constantly being on alert."

Evie reached out, gesturing towards Lucy to lie in her arms. The redhead smiled in response and cuddled up to her lover, resting her head in the crook of Evie's neck. The former assassin pressed a kiss to Lucy's head and held her close.

"So, what time is it then?" asked Evie, with a slight giggle.

"It's only just after midnight." replied Lucy, letting out a small chuckle.

"I don't think that I could even try to sleep right now," said Evie, as she looked into Lucy's eyes. "I can't stop thinking about Jacob."

Lucy held Evie even tighter as the former assassin began to set her feelings free.

"I just want him to leave the city." said Evie. "That way, I know that he can't harm us and at the same time- I don't have to deal with the very real possibility that I could have to kill my own twin Brother." said Evie, quietly.

"But, in the letter you said-" began Lucy.

"I know that I threatened him but I am only trying to coax him into leaving London. I don't want to kill Jacob……Not unless he leaves me with no choice." said Evie, as she gazed into Lucy's dark eyes. "I would never let him harm you."

"You would do that for me?" asked Lucy in surprise, suddenly propping herself up on her left arm.

"I couldn't bear to lose you, Lucy." said Evie, leaning over to softly kiss the redhead's lips. "You are my reason for living."

"Really?" asked Lucy. The Grand Master looked at Evie with concern.

"Don't you understand, Lucy? It wouldn't matter if none of this existed. No assassins, no Templars, no shroud. I would still love you." said Evie, as she brushed Lucy's hair away from her face and kissed her lightly on her right cheek. "I can't live without you."

Tears began to form in Evie's eyes and Lucy could hear the sound of soft intermittent sobs coming from Evie's throat.  
"Please hold me tight, my darling." pleaded Evie.

"Oh, my love." replied Lucy, quietly.

The redhead tightened her grip on Evie and held her as if she was trying to take all of the young brunette's pain upon herself.

"Whatever happens, promise me that we will always be together." said Evie, as she battled to regain her composure.

"Always." Lucy whispered in reply.

Lucy lay in silence, holding her young lover in her arms. It had suddenly become clear to Lucy, just how much Evie had given up to be with her and it was obviously taking its toll on the young woman. She had fallen in love but she had lost the life that she had known in the process.

"I love you, Evie." said Lucy, as a single tear fell down her cheek and came to rest on Evie's right shoulder.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new dawn. A new beginning. A new Order.

Evie Frye stood over by the window and stared out over the Tower courtyard, looking out over what was theirs. Hers and Lucy's. She knew that very soon the entire city would be under their control. The young woman turned away from the window with a small smile on her face as she thought about all that was to come. Evie looked over at Lucy. The redhead was just stirring from her sleep as the former assassin finished getting dressed, putting the final touches to her attire and draping her Templar insignia over her right shoulder. The demons of the night before were gone. Her former life had now been cast to the deep recesses of her mind.

"Good morning," said Lucy, sleepily.

The Grand Master stretched and slowly sat up in the bed, trying to wake herself up fully. It was then that Lucy suddenly recalled remnants of their conversation from during the night.

"Are you alright, Evie?" Lucy asked, as the brunette advanced towards her and sat down on the bed.

"Perfectly." Evie replied, taking Lucy's left hand in her own and kissing it softly.

"After last night, I mean." said Lucy, looking kindly into Evie's eyes.

"None of that matters anymore," Evie replied. "This is a new beginning."

Lucy leaned forward and kissed Evie's left cheek softly.

"Whatever happens, I'm here for you. If you ever feel that something is troubling you, I want you to feel that you can tell me." said Lucy, placing her hands on Evie's shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze.

Evie nodded, "likewise." she said in reply before deciding to change the subject.

"We have work to do, Grand Master." said Evie.

"We have indeed, Commander." replied Lucy, with a sly smile.

Evie walked over to the desk and picked up the letter, before sliding it into her inside coat pocket. "I'll deliver this personally." she said.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jacob was sitting in the back room of Henry's curio shop. The young man was looking at a reward poster that he had taken from the marketplace the day before. He still couldn't believe that his own Sister had placed a bounty on his head. He had been waiting for the right moment, if ever there was one, to tell Henry about the situation. After all, he was in danger just as much as Jacob was and so were all of their contacts.

Henry came into the back room, having closed up the shop for a break. The Indian assassin immediately noticed the look of unease on Frye's face and the fact that he was staring at something.

"Jacob, is something wrong?" asked Henry, taking a seat next to the Frye twin.

Jacob didn't answer, he silently pushed the poster around the table so that it was facing Henry. Frye watched Henry's facial expression change as he read the words in front of him.

"I cannot believe what I am reading," said Henry, in a bemused tone. "Is this a ruse to make you leave the city, do you suppose or is Miss Frye being serious?"

"Whatever it is, it won't work." Jacob replied. "I'm not a coward. I am not going to go back to Crawley. If this is a threat, it hasn't worked."

Henry was about to reply when they heard hammering on the front door of the shop......  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
About half an hour earlier......  
Evie sat opposite Lucy in their carriage as it steadily made its way along the cobbled streets, heading for Henry Green's curio shop.

The former assassin sat in silence watching Lucy as the Templar lieutenant looked out of the carriage window as she watched the vast canvas of the city roll by. Evie stared at the redhead with an intense passion burning inside her body. Whatever was to happen today. However the day was to end. It had to end with Lucy in her arms. The former assassin felt a tightness in her chest like some terrible premonition had come to her. She didn't tell Lucy. She didn't want to give life to the dreadful thought in her mind.

  
"I won't let him harm you, I promise." Evie thought to herself.  
The carriage came to an abrupt halt outside the shop and two Templar guards leapt down from their positions.

  
"Lucy, I want you to stay here for a moment." said Evie.  
The Frye girl leaned forwards in her seat and took hold of Lucy's hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. Lucy looked at Evie and could see the anguish in her lover's eyes.

  
"What is it, Evie?" Lucy asked.

  
Evie could hardly bear to look into Lucy's eyes. She couldn't contemplate the possibility of one day looking up and Lucy not being there.

  
"It's nothing." said Evie.

  
"It doesn't seem like nothing." Lucy replied. "I'm coming with you."

  
"But, I-" Evie began, not being able to get the words past her lips.

  
Lucy didn't reply, she had already stepped out of the carriage.  
Evie took a deep breath before getting out of the carriage, the Templar insignia that was draped on her shoulder beginning to flutter in the breeze.

  
"There is no answer, Commander." said the Templar guard, as his associate continued to hammer on the door with his fist.

  
Evie came swaggering up to the door, before making herself known.  
"I know that you are in there, Jacob!" shouted Evie.

Jacob stood up from the table in the back room of the shop.  
"Wait a moment, my friend." said Henry, blocking Jacob's path. "Please don't do anything hasty."

  
Frye ignored Henry and angrily advanced towards the front of the shop. As Jacob looked through the window, he saw Evie and felt a lump in his throat. The female Frye twin was standing directly outside the door, her arms folded. Jacob gritted his teeth at the sight of his Sister wearing a Templar uniform. He needed to keep his temper in check or there was no knowing how this would all end.

  
"Come out here, Jacob!" shouted Evie. "What are you afraid of?" That hit a raw nerve and Evie knew that it would.

  
The door was suddenly flung open and Jacob Frye stepped outside.  
"What do you want, Evie?" muttered Jacob.

  
"I want you to leave London," said Evie. "I have made my feelings clear in this letter." she said, thrusting the envelope into her Brother's right hand.

  
"Why didn't you just post it." said Jacob.

  
"Because I wanted to have sure that you 'got the message,' so to speak." said Evie, giving her Brother a sly look. "I want you gone, Jacob. Don't make me kill you."

  
It was then that Jacob noticed Lucy standing just a few feet behind Evie. The Templar lieutenant looked at Jacob with contempt. A look which made Jacob's blood boil with rage.

  
"I will not leave London," Jacob muttered, as he moved his gaze back to Evie. "I will not go back to Crawley with my tail between my legs."

  
"Well, don't say that I didn't warn you!" exclaimed Evie, as she turned to take her leave.

  
Evie and Lucy were just about to return to their carriage when Jacob saw an opportunity.

  
Jacob put his right hand down at his side, something that with her assassin training, Evie noticed immediately. The female Frye twin leapt towards Lucy, pushing her towards the carriage. Evie knew that her Brother was holding a knife.

  
"Lucy, get down!" Evie screamed, her eyes going wide as the adrenaline coursed through her body. All she could think about in those few short seconds was protecting Lucy. Evie turned within a split second, shielding her lover, not giving a single thought to her own safety. The knife hit the metal of Evie's rope launcher and fell to the ground with a clatter.

  
Evie Frye saw red. She was way beyond the boundaries of rational thought. She charged towards her Brother and slammed her left arm into him, pinning him to the wall, her hidden blade held precariously against his neck.

  
"That was a foolish move, dear Brother." Evie spat through her teeth.  
Jacob's hazel eyes went wide with genuine terror.

  
"This is your last warning, next time you won't be so fortunate." Evie growled.

  
Henry heard the commotion and came running to the front door. He was stunned by what he found.  
"What is going on here?" asked Henry. "Please, Miss Frye-" Putting his hands out in front of him.

  
"That's Commander to you." Evie replied. "Keep him under control." she said, retracting her blade and shoving Jacob at Henry. ....."Or the next time that we meet it will be the last."

  
Jacob looked at Evie in disbelief as she turned to return to the carriage.

"Take us home." Evie shouted to the driver, as she climbed into her transport and returned to Lucy. This time she sat beside her, putting her right hand down on the redhead's left. Evie suddenly felt Lucy leaning against her, squeezing her right arm tightly.

  
"You saved my life," Lucy whispered, as she looked up at Evie. "You could have died protecting me." Evie turned and put her arms around Lucy. "I told you that I wouldn't let Jacob harm you." she replied.  
"I love you." said Lucy, looking deeply into her lover's greenish blue eyes.

  
Evie brushed her right thumb gently down Lucy's left cheek and looked at the redhead's luscious lips. She closed the distance between them in an instant, gasping into Lucy's mouth, "I love you, my darling."  
They didn't notice the movement of the carriage, all they could see was each other. Lucy let out a grateful hum as Evie's lips met with hers once more.

  
As the carriage approached the Tower, the two women regained their composure. The carriage came to a halt right outside the entrance to their quarters and they waited for the driver to get down from the carriage and open the door. Evie looked at Lucy with desire in her eyes, she could barely contain herself a moment longer.

  
Both Evie and Lucy acknowledged the driver, not giving away even a hint of the urgency that was driving them to distraction. It seemed to take an age to reach the privacy of their living quarters. Every step was like torture. Every time that they walked past a guard they were sure that their facial expressions would give them away.

  
Finally they reached the door of their chambers. As soon as the door was bolted shut behind them, Lucy fell into Evie's waiting arms.  
"I want you so much." said Lucy, as she smiled at Evie.  
Evie merely smiled back, lifting Lucy up in her arms and carrying her over to their bed. Gently lying the redhead down, Evie turned her attention to her lover's leather clad body.

  
"Sometimes I wish that you didn't wear such complicated attire." said Evie, raising an eyebrow at Lucy as she began to work on undoing Lucy's clothing. It seemed to take forever as Evie's fingers fumbled over the task but finally the leatherwear was undone and the brunette turned her attention to Lucy's blouse and pendant, distracting her with feather light kisses as she did so.

  
In Evie's mind, it was like she was unwrapping the most exquisite gift. The anticipation was becoming more and more unbearable as the seconds past. The sound of Lucy moaning into her right ear was nearly enough to send the young brunette into spasms of rapture.  
Lucy grabbed for Evie, tugging at her lover's coat and somehow managing to wrestle her arms out of the heavy garment. Evie pinned the redhead back down against the bed and slowly began to unbutton Lucy's blouse.

  
"Oh, to hell with this!" said Lucy, as she grabbed at her blouse firmly and ripped it open in one movement.  
The Templar lieutenant smiled at Evie and pulled her down against her, kissing her forcefully.

  
"Oh, Lucy." Evie gasped, as her hands started to wander over Lucy's body, her fingers now having access to more of the Templar's bare skin.

  
Evie unbuttoned the top button of her own shirt and pulled it off over her head, followed by the strapping that she used to secure her breasts in place.

  
"You see how much easier it is for me to get undressed!" said Evie, giving Lucy a cheeky smile.  
"You are asking for it, Commander." replied Lucy, gripping Evie's wrists and rolling the brunette beneath her. Lucy gazed into Evie's eyes and ran her fingers through her dark brown hair. "I love you."

Lucy whispered, as a tidal wave of heat appeared to crash down on her body.

  
"My darling," said Evie, as she continued to part Lucy from her many layers of clothing. Lucy lay back with her eyes closed as she heard the clatter of her belt buckle being loosened and her trousers unbuttoned.  
"Evie, please." begged Lucy.

  
Evie smiled up at Lucy as she unlaced her boots just enough to be able to pull them off, quickly followed by the trousers.  
The young brunette climbed back on top of Lucy and wrapped her arms around her.

  
"It's your turn, Commander." said Lucy, as she firmly grasped at Evie's boots and yanked each of them off in one swift movement.

The redhead pressed the fingertips of her right hand firmly between Evie's legs and heard the young woman gasp in reply.

  
"Don't be such a tease!" giggled Evie.

  
"Alright then," replied Lucy.  
The redhead pulled Evie's trousers and undergarments off and threw them to the floor in one move.

  
"How on Earth did you do that?" said Evie, propping herself up on her elbows.  
The brunette saw Lucy give her a customary smirk before diving between her legs.

  
Evie closed her eyes and threw her head back, her mouth open wide as she let out a cry of ecstasy.

  
"Oh, Lucy!" Evie shouted, desperately trying to grab for the redhead. She wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to look into her eyes as her climax came crashing down on her.

  
"Kiss me," Evie pleaded.

  
Lucy agreed to Evie's request, pulling herself up until she could look into her young lover's eyes. She gently began to kiss her as her right hand slid down Evie's body and found its target.  
Evie took a sharp intake of breath as she felt one of Lucy's fingers begin to toy with her dipping folds.

  
"I love you, my beautiful, courageous Evie." said Lucy.  
The redhead rhythmically began to move her finger in and out of Evie at a steady pace and she could hear soft whimpering sounds being released from the brunette's throat.

  
"Ohhh," said Evie, softly. Her heart rate was increasing as Lucy increased the pace of her movements.

  
Lucy slowly covered Evie's face in light kisses, this only adding to the young woman's level of arousal.  
"Lucy- I-" Evie gasped out. "Please hold me tight."  
Lucy held her young lover close to her, her eyes not wavering from Evie's as she felt the brunette's back arch and saw her greenish blue eyes mist over.

  
Lucy stroked at Evie's face and kissed her lips softly as the brunette came in her arms.

  
"I love you, my darling Lucy." whispered Evie.  
"You are everything to me." Lucy replied.  
The redhead wrapped her arms around Evie and held her close as she came down from her climax.

  
"Just rest." said Lucy, kissing Evie on the forehead.  
"No, I want to make love to you." said Evie, gently moving the strands of red hair from around Lucy's face.

  
Evie lay Lucy back down on the bed and smiled at her, leaning down to softly kiss the redhead's neck and gently nipping at her left earlobe.  
"Evie." Lucy moaned out, as the anticipation built inside her.  
Evie slithered down Lucy's body until she was positioned between the redhead's legs.

  
Lucy began to gasp as she felt Evie's warm breath on her skin. The young brunette planted a soft kiss against Lucy's aching folds before slowly pressing her tongue against the redhead's soaked entrance.

  
"Ohh!" Lucy exclaimed, trying to find something to hold on to.  
Evie pushed her tongue further in and started to toy with her lover's pulsing clit, stroking her right thumb across it and watching Lucy jolt from the contact.

  
"Evie, please!" Lucy screamed.

  
Evie gave Lucy's slit a good long lick before putting her lips to the redhead's clit and sucking hard. The brunette smiled to herself as she felt her lover bucking against her face.

  
One last movement would be enough to take Lucy over the edge.  
The former assassin worked her way back up Lucy's trembling form and as Lucy saw Evie's eyes meet with hers, the redhead felt her lover's fingers on her again.

  
Lucy gasped, her back beginning to arch as she felt her orgasm building to its glorious crescendo.

  
"My darling," Lucy gasped out, as she came undone in her lover's arms.  
They wrapped themselves in each others' embrace as Lucy felt herself returning to Earth.

  
"Evie, whatever happens, whenever it happens, I want to die in your arms." said Lucy, holding the Frye girl tightly.

  
"Hush," said Evie, putting a finger softly against Lucy's lips. "I don't want you to think like that. We have years ahead of us."

  
Lucy looked deeply into Evie's eyes. With a serious expression on her face, she clung to the brunette. "Promise me, Evie."

  
"I promise," replied Evie, nuzzling her face into the side of Lucy's neck. "I will always be by your side." she said, kissing Lucy again."

  
Evie hid her face from Lucy. Holding her lover close, she buried her face in the older woman's neck, desperately trying to conceal her true emotions and the tears that were stinging in her eyes.

 

 


	6. I Can't Lose You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie resorts to desperate measures to protect Lucy but nothing is straight forward.

Evie Frye had never expected her life to turn out like this.

The former assassin couldn't sleep. She paced up and down in the antechamber beside her and Lucy's bedroom. The last thing that the Frye girl wanted was to wake Lucy. She felt that she had burdened her lover enough with her worries and had decided to take it upon herself to deal with her problems once and for all.

The brunette sat checking her weapons, arranging the last of her throwing knives in her belt. The young woman revelled in the silence, it was one of only a few situations where Evie felt that she could let her mind relax. Checking the mechanism of her hidden blade, Evie quietly got to her feet and left her arsenal of weaponry ready for the day that was to come.

She stood in the doorway of the bed chamber and smiled as she looked at the woman who was fast asleep in their bed. Nothing and no one was more important to her than Lucy Thorne.

Evie slowly crept to the side of the bed and carefully lay down beside her lover.

Lucy was fast asleep, miles away in her own dreams. Evie lay close beside the Templar Grand Master, gently wrapping an arm around her and burying her face in the redhead's long hair.

She gasped as she took a lungful of Lucy's scent.

"I love you so much," Evie whispered. "I must protect you, whatever the cost."

"May the Father of Understanding guide me in the hours to come." she said.

Lucy turned over in the bed but didn't stir from her sleep as Evie rested her lips against hers.

"I will keep you from harm, Lucy." said Evie, before she finally closed her eyes and fell into a restful sleep.  
\---------------------------------------------------------  
It was early morning. Dawn had barely broken before Evie was awake and taking care of the final adjustments to her weapons. Everything was ready.

Evie had hoped to set out that morning without Lucy noticing but it wasn't to be. Just as the young brunette was heading for the door, she heard the sound of movement behind her.

"Just where do you think you are going?" asked Lucy, as she sat up in their bed.

Evie felt her eyes go wide in surprise. She didn't want to have to explain herself but now she had no choice.

"I have a small matter that needs attending to." replied Evie, finally turning around to face Lucy.

Lucy was trying to read her young lover's face but Evie was giving nothing away.

Evie could feel herself crumbling under the pressure of the secret that she so desperately wanted to hide.

"Please tell me that you aren't going to do anything foolish." said Lucy, suddenly getting to her feet.

"You don't have to concern yourself." said Evie. "I can deal with this."

"Deal with what?" replied Lucy, her tone getting more raised.

"It doesn"t matter." said Evie, abruptly.  
"Why won't you tell me?" replied Lucy, getting more exasperated.

"Because it's not important!" shouted Evie.

"Evie-" began Lucy.

"BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE YOU!" shouted Evie, suddenly grabbing for Lucy and holding her close. "I have no choice," sobbed Evie. "I would die without you."

"What is it that you are intending to do exactly?" asked Lucy.

Evie looked deeply into Lucy's dark eyes.

"It's either him or you, Lucy." whispered Evie. "I have to protect you. This is the only way."

Lucy became immediately concerned.  
"Evie, you cannot seriously mean- " Lucy began.

The young Templar Commander said nothing for a moment. She stood silently, looking intently at Lucy, as if she were trying to imprint a vision of the redhead in her mind's eye. As if it was to be the last time that she would ever hold her.

"This is the only solution." said Evie.  
Lucy suddenly seized Evie forcefully by her shoulders and stared into her greenish blue eyes.

"Evie, months ago I would have been the first person to wish Jacob Frye dead!" exclaimed Lucy. "That was before I fell in love with you. You don't have to do this. You can't seriously want to kill your own Brother!"

Evie looked back at her lover, a single tear running down her left cheek.  
"Jacob has left me with no choice." said Evie, her hands beginning to shake. "Please, just hold me." pleaded Evie.

"My darling." Lucy gasped as she tightened her embrace around the former assassin. "I don't want you to do something that you will regret."

The pair stood there, locked in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity before Evie broke away.

"My only regret will be if I lose you. I have to go." said Evie, lightly kissing Lucy on her left cheek.

Lucy reluctantly released her young lover and retreated to the bed, she couldn't bear to see Evie leave.  
"May the Father of Understanding guide you." said Lucy, with her back still turned.

Evie headed for the door, turning around one last time to look at Lucy.  
"I love you." said Evie, before taking her leave.

Lucy suddenly turned around but Evie had already gone.

"I love you too." said Lucy. "Please be safe."

\---------------------------------------------------------------

"Jacob, I must speak with you." said Henry, as he walked into the back room of the shop.

"What do you want, Greenie?" mumbled Jacob.

The assassin was slumped in the desk chair with his flat cap still over his eyes after his failed attempt at a good night's sleep.

"You really shouldn't have aggravated your Sister in the way that you did." said Henry.

"I am fully aware that it probably wasn't one of my better ideas." said Jacob, halfheartedly.

The assassin let his cap fall into his lap and he squinted at Henry as his eyes adjusted to the morning light.

"You tried to kill the woman she loves!" exclaimed Henry, waving his arms in the air. "It is hardly surprising that Miss Frye lashed out."

"Why do you still insist on calling her Miss Frye?" asked Jacob, as he got to his feet. "Why don't you just call her 'the Commander' or 'traitor' or 'that Templar woman,' anything but Miss Frye. She doesn't deserve respect!"

"Jacob, listen to me," pleaded Henry, putting his hands on the assassin's shoulders. "Love can do strange things to a person. When you are in love you will do anything to keep the person you love safe from harm."

"She wouldn't really kill me. She may have threatened me a couple of times but she didn't mean it." said Jacob, trying to convince himself of his own words.

"Your Sister loves Lucy Thorne and it is obvious by the way that she protected Miss Thorne yesterday that she would give her life for her. You must remain cautious, my friend."

"I'll be fine, Greenie. No need to worry." replied Jacob, giving Henry a playful pat on the back.

Henry knew that his words fell on deaf ears but he felt better for having voiced his concerns all the same.

"Right, I'm off out for a stroll." said Jacob, as he headed for the door.

Henry wanted to tell Jacob to be careful but thought better of it, he would only moan at him again for worrying.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------

Jacob felt strange as he stepped out into the cold morning air. He was convinced that he was being watched.

Evie was standing on a nearby rooftop, glaring down at her brother as he departed the shop. The female Frye twin could feel her blood boiling as she tried to ready herself for the confrontation that was to come. She was trying her hardest to block out all thought of the bond that she had had with her brother. Evie knew that if just one shred of emotion crept into her thoughts she wouldn't be able to carry out her objective. The old assassin mantra to 'never let personal feelings compromise the mission' played over and over in her head like some dreaded curse as she jumped down from her vantage point and headed toward Jacob's position.

Jacob was being his usual smug self. He always seemed so sure of himself or as least that was how it seemed. Now it was more like the male assassin was simply playing a role. It was just an act. Once he had been part of a team, one half of the Frye twins, the formidable assassins. Now, he felt alone. Were it not for Henry Green and a few acquaintances who had remained loyal to the cause, Jacob felt that he probably would have left London by now.

He wasn't going to give Evie the satisfaction.

"I think a spot of early morning liquor is in order." Jacob muttered to himself.

The male Frye twin turned into an alleyway as he headed for the tavern.

Evie rolled her eyes as she watched from her vantage point.

"Typical." she groaned.

The young brunette leapt across the rooftops trying to reach her destination in the shortest route possible. All the time, Evie kept her mind focused on the mission. Her thoughts were always of Lucy and remained so as she leapt down to the ground near to the tavern door. The young woman straightened up, adjusting her attire, keeping to the shadows as she glimpsed her brother entering the drinking establishment.  
The Templar commander readied herself, her Templar insignia showing prominently on her uniform. She brought her ring to her lips, Lucy's ring, pressing a kiss to the surface of the precious metal.

"For you, my darling." she whispered.

This was it.  
\----------------------------------------------------------  
Lucy was pacing up and down in her study, she was restless.

She clenched her fists tightly to the point that her knuckles turned pale. The Templar grand master was genuinely afraid. She was afraid of losing Evie.

Lucy ran to the door of her chambers, flinging it open in one swift action.

"Guard!" Lucy bellowed at the top of her lungs.

A burly looking Templar advanced toward Lucy as fast as his thickset frame would allow. The man came to attention right in front of the Grand Master.

"Yes, Ma'am." said the guard, acknowledging Lucy, albeit a little out of breath.

"Has the Commander reported back yet?" asked Lucy, trying not to show that she was falling apart.

"No, Ma'am. We have received no communication from Commander Frye." the guard replied.

"Please let me know as soon as you hear anything." said Lucy, waving her right hand at the guard to dismiss him.

"Very good, Ma'am." said the guard, as he saluted Lucy and returned to his station.

"I can't stand around here doing nothing!" exclaimed Lucy to an empty room. The redhead dashed to her desk, fumbling with the handle of her desk drawer as she rushed to retrieve her dagger and pistol.

"I won't let you shoulder the burden alone, Evie." said Lucy.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

  
Evie closed her eyes for a brief moment.

"May the Father of Understanding guide me." she whispered.

The Templar Commander braced herself before kicking the tavern door wide open. Any early morning joviality ceased as the tavern patrons observed her entering the building. Evie nonchalantly strolled over to the bar counter and began to address the landlord, looking at him with an icy stare.

"I'm looking for Jacob Frye." said Evie, turning her head to glance around. "I know that he is here."

"What a pleasure to see you in my humble establishment." said the landlord, nervously.

"Where is Frye?" barked Evie, leaning over and grabbing the cowering man by the scruff of the neck.

"He's in one of the back stalls." the landlord blurted out.

"Thank you." replied Evie, releasing the man. "As you were."

Evie continued on through the building until she saw him.

Jacob was in a corner stall with his feet up on the bench and a tankard of ale in his right hand.

The Templar commander walked at a pace and came to an abrupt stop right behind her brother.

"Good morning, Jacob." said Evie, slyly.

Jacob immediately sprayed a mouthful of ale across the table in front of him at the sound of his sister's voice.

"What the- Evie?" remarked Jacob, turning around in shock.

Evie was determined that she wouldn't waste any time with pleasantries.

"Outside, NOW!" bellowed Evie.

"Oh, look who's the great I am!" scoffed Jacob, in his slightly inebriated state. "Get lost, Commander!"

The male Frye twin pushed past Evie in an act of defiance.  
That was all the incentive Evie needed to let rip at the man she had once called her brother.

"Ahhhhh!" Evie shouted angrily.

"Do you really think that I am going to take orders from a Templar?" said Jacob, squaring up to his sister. "Stop hiding behind this symbol." he said, running his fingers along the edge of the Templar cross that was draped across Evie's shoulder.

"I'm not hiding, this is who I am." Evie growled.

"You still believe that?" replied Jacob, sarcastically. "Playing second fiddle to your Templar whore!"

Evie snapped. Jacob could insult her all he wanted, she could take it but there was no way that she would tolerate anyone slandering Lucy.

Without even thinking, Evie pulled a throwing knife from her belt and thrust it into her brother's left thigh before Jacob even had chance to react.

Jacob let out a genuine cry of pain as the sharpened blade cut into his flesh.  
"Now maybe you will listen!" shouted Evie, as she cut across Jacob's lower jaw with her brass knuckles.

The Templar commander grabbed Jacob roughly around his neck and began to drag his drunken form towards the door, the other patrons watching on in horror as they witnessed the male assassin being beaten into submission.

Evie pushed Jacob to the ground just as a carriage came to a halt outside the tavern and Lucy quickly alighted to be met with the chaotic scene.

"Evie, stop this!" pleaded Lucy, holding her arms aloft.

Evie found herself suddenly being taken by surprise as Jacob got to his feet.

"Did you seriously think that a few scratches could stop me?" said Jacob.

"There is nothing stopping me from killing you right now, Jacob!" shouted Evie.

"You won't." replied Jacob.

The male Frye twin advanced towards Lucy with his blade drawn.  
"I know that you won't kill me!" exclaimed Jacob.

"Jacob, I'm warning you!" shouted Evie.

The Templar Commander didn't receive a reply as Jacob raised his hand that was holding the blade.  
Lucy stood with her back against the carriage. It would have been so simple for her to just climb into her transport and ride away but she didn't move, she wasn't going to abandon Evie.

Evie couldn't tell if Jacob was bluffing or not but she couldn't take any chances.

"No!!" screamed Evie.

She ran to shield Lucy, putting herself between Jacob and the woman she loved. Just as her brother brought the knife down.

"I'm going to remove the problem!" shouted Jacob, as he glared at Lucy.

Evie grabbed for Jacob's wrist, using all of her strength to try and wrestle the weapon from her brother's grasp.  
Lucy tried to free herself but she was pinned against the carriage as Evie desperately struggled to protect her.

The Templar Commander's strength was failing her. Even in Jacob's drunken state, he could still outdo his sister.  
"Put the knife down, Jacob!" said Evie, through gritted teeth.

Her arms burned as her muscles strained to keep the blade away from Lucy.

"EVIE!" Lucy screamed, as she saw the knife come down dangerously close to the young brunette.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Jacob's eyes went wide in shock and pain as his grip on the blade lessened and he dropped to his knees before his face smacked into the cobbles.

Evie slowly turned to see Lucy holding her pistol, the weapon was still smoking.

"I had to," whispered Lucy. "He would have killed you, Evie."

Evie said nothing as she turned around and embraced Lucy.

"I couldn't let you have to live with the responsibility." said Lucy, gently kissing Evie on the corner of her mouth. "Please don't hate me."

"I don't hate you." said Evie, as she gazed into Lucy's dark brown eyes. "I love you."

Evie glanced down at her brother's apparently lifeless body.

"I know that I should feel something but I don't." said Evie, looking back at Lucy. "I shall never forgive him for what he did. He would have killed you.  
The Templar Commander turned back to the fallen assassin. Lucy watched on as Evie knelt down beside Jacob, the young brunette pulled a white handkerchief from her breast pocket and wiped it across her brother's chest.

" You only have yourself to blame, Jacob. " muttered Evie, as she got to her feet and stuffed the stained handkerchief back into her pocket.

"Evie, what are you going to do?" asked Lucy. The redhead didn't know how to broach the delicate question.  
"You mean about him?" asked Evie.  
The Templar Commander called up to the carriage driver and guard.

"You two, put the assassin in the carriage!" called Evie.

The two men jumped down and acknowledged Evie, "Right away, Commander." said the driver.

"Oh and then you can ride inside the carriage back to the Tower. The Grand Master and myself will take the reins." said Evie.

The two men looked at each other apprehensively but followed orders. They didn't want to end up like Jacob Frye.

As Evie and Lucy climbed onto the carriage, the redhead turned to her young lover. Evie was eerily silent as she took the reins in her grasp. As they finally pulled away from the scene, Lucy began to speak.

"Darling, what to you intend to do?" asked Lucy, noticing the fury in Evie's eyes.

"You'll see." replied Evie, through gritted teeth.

As Evie negotiated their way through the narrow streets, Lucy noticed the direction in which they were headed. They were heading back to the curio shop.

Evie turned the last corner before pulling the horses up in front of the Henry Green's place of business.

The Templar Commander hammered on the carriage roof with her fist to catch the attention of her subordinates.

"Leave him on the doorstep of Green's shop!" ordered Evie, as the Templars alighted from the carriage.

The two men carried Jacob over to the kerb and lay him down on the front step of Henry's shop. Just as they were turning back to the carriage, one of the men was convinced that they saw the assassin breathing.

"You may drive us home,' said Lucy, as she and Evie jumped down from the front of the carriage and resumed their positions in the cab. As the carriage pulled away, Evie watched her brother's form disappear from view, unaware of the fact that her brother was still clinging to life. It felt surreal as she looked across the carriage at Lucy.

" Are you sure that you are alright?" asked Lucy.

Evie quietly moved to the other side of the carriage and sat beside Lucy. Without a word, Evie leaned her head against Lucy's left shoulder.

"There was no other way." said Evie, thinking aloud. "He would have killed you and I couldn't bear that."

"It was you who was almost killed, Evie." said Lucy. "That is why I had to act. There was no time to think."

Lucy gently pressed a kiss into Evie's hair as the carriage approached the gates of the Tower.

"I will never leave you, Evie." said Lucy, reassuringly.

Secretly, Lucy was afraid for Evie. She was afraid about just how much this incident would affect her.

That night as they lay down together, the two women held each other tightly. Lucy desperately trying to comfort her young lover while Evie herself looked into Lucy's eyes, trying to keep herself calm. In reality, the Templar commander was terrified at the prospect of closing her eyes. She was afraid of the nightmares that would come. Every time she closed her eyes, Evie was haunted by her brother. She didn't want to sleep. She needed a distraction.

"Lucy, please make love to me." pleaded Evie, as she lay in the redhead's arms.

Lucy said nothing but slowly and softly put her lips to Evie's, pressing against them as the young brunette slowly opened her mouth to her.

Evie hummed against Lucy's lips as the redhead deepened their kiss. The Templar commander dragged her fingers through Lucy's hair, pulling her closer. Lucy lowered her lips to a soft spot on Evie neck, making the young woman moan with pleasure.

"I love you," whispered Lucy, as her fingers began to trail down Evie's body.  
"Take me, I'm yours." gasped Evie, as she leaned back into the bed.  
Lucy positioned herself over Evie, moving her fingers down until they were hovering over Evie's aching centre.

  
"Oh, Lucy!" Evie cried out as the redhead began to move her slick fingers over her swelling mound.  
Evie started to whimper as she felt the beginnings of a rapturous climax building inside her.

"Evie." whispered Lucy, as she caressed the brunette's right cheek with her lips.  
Evie was losing herself in her pleasure, closing her eyes as she felt that glorious rush hurtling through her body. Lucy held her tightly, softly stroking Evie's face as she slowly regained her senses.  
This was the only place that Evie felt safe. In Lucy Thorne's arms.

"I will hold you all night, my darling." said Lucy.

Evie closed her eyes and relaxed into Lucy's embrace. She didn't want to think about her brother. She didn't want to think about her twin being dead.

Tomorrow would shock Evie to her very core.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Veil of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy is worried about Evie. Her concerns are not without foundation, as she is soon to discover……
> 
> (Mental health issues covered in the next two chapters.)

If she hadn't fallen in love, none of this would ever have happened.

Evie's head was spinning. She had received a handwritten message which had been hastily delivered by a courier just some moments before. The Templar commander felt her chest tighten as she read the words,

' _Your Brother is alive, no thanks to Miss Thorne and yourself. Don't expect the assassins to let your actions go unpunished.' - Henry Green._

"Why couldn't Jacob have at least done the decent thing and died!" shouted Evie, angrily.

The young brunette screwed up the note and threw it into the fireplace, her hands beginning to shake at the thought of Jacob's possible retaliation for her actions.

"It was self-defence," Evie muttered to herself. "He would have killed both of us, there was nothing else that could have been done."

Evie was so preoccupied that she didn't hear Lucy enter the chamber.

"Evie?" said Lucy, having noticed that her lover was staring blankly into the fireplace.

"Jacob is alive!" Evie growled through her teeth, still not looking up.

"What?" asked Lucy in shock, walking at speed to Evie's side. "How do you know?"

Lucy went to put her right hand to the young brunette's shoulder but Evie immediately pushed her away.

"I received a message from Green, that's how!" snapped Evie. The young woman's eyes looking at Lucy in anger.

"Evie, what's wrong with you?" asked Lucy, trying to reason with her. "I've never seen you like this."

"This is all your fault!" shouted Evie, turning on Lucy. "Why did I have to fall in love with you?"

Evie slashed out with her fists, striking repeatedly against Lucy's leather uniform. The redhead stood there and took the halfhearted blows, she knew that this was Evie's anger and fear talking.

When she felt Evie's blows weaken, Lucy gently put her arms around her young lover and held her as she collapsed against her, exhausted and on the brink of tears.

Lucy slowly put her right hand to Evie's face and waited for the young brunette to look at her. When Evie's tearstained, tired greenish blue eyes finally reached her line of sight, Lucy smiled.

"I love you," said Lucy.

Evie suddenly looked into Lucy's eyes and gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "Oh God." thought Evie. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you make me love her so much?"

"I love you too," replied Evie, as her lips met with Lucy's.

Evie pushed the redhead up against the wall and continued to kiss her fiercely as the tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Lucy could taste the salt of Evie's tears as she kissed her.

"Oh, my Evie." whispered Lucy, braking their kiss and putting her hands to the brunette's face to wipe the tears away.

The young Templar commander said nothing, she simply rested her head against Thorne's left shoulder.

"You need to rest," said Lucy, softly. "You're exhausted. You haven't slept properly for days." The Templar Grand Master put her right arm around Evie and slowly guided her to the bedside. The young brunette slumped onto the bed as Lucy tried to make her more comfortable.

It was then that Thorne noticed Evie's eyes. They seemed dark and distant, Lucy hadn't noticed it before but Evie's complexion had appeared to have lost its youthful glow. In the space of a few short weeks, the young woman had been transformed into someone who Lucy could hardly recognise as the person whom she had fallen so desperately in love with. The Frye girl had become angry and bitter.

Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed and began to softly stroke at Evie's left cheek.

"You were right," whispered Lucy. "It is all my fault."

Evie didn't respond, she only lay there looking at Lucy. Her mind seemed a broken place.

Lucy climbed onto the bed beside Evie and lay down next to her. The redhead didn't know what to say, she simply waited for Evie to react. As Lucy lay there in the silence, the cogs of her mind began to over think, 'What if Evie stays like this?' 'What if her behaviour becomes more erratic?'

Lucy knew that it could be a very real possibility that Evie could be thrown into Lambeth Asylum if she continued on this downward spiral. The redhead suddenly felt choked at the thought of it. She couldn't lose Evie, not like that. She couldn't let her be committed to that dreadful place.

Thorne's composure began to crumble as tears ran down her cheeks, stinging her eyes. It was when Evie heard audible sobs that she turned around to face Lucy.

"I've failed you, Evie" said Lucy, through her tears. "I have ripped out your very soul. Leave me, before I destroy you completely."

Evie put her right hand to Lucy's left cheek, "I would die without you." she said, burying her face in the side of Lucy's neck.

"No!" shouted Lucy, trying to push the young brunette away. "I have turned you into something that you should never have been. I moulded you in my likeness. Your love for me has poisoned you! Let me go, Evie!"

The former assassin suddenly became more lucid at the sound of Thorne's words.

"I won't leave you!" shouted Evie. "I could never leave you! Please stop saying such things!"

Evie grabbed for Lucy again, "Please don't send me away!"

The Frye girl pressed her lips forcefully against Lucy's, hoping with all her heart that the redhead would reciprocate.

Lucy was shaking as she began to kiss Evie in return. She put her arms around the young woman and held her close. "I don't deserve your love." she whispered, as Evie continued kissing her.

"Just hold me, Lucy." pleaded Evie.

The redhead put her arms around Evie's waist and held her in the silence. The Frye girl lay facing away from her lover, she couldn't bear for Lucy to see the pain in her eyes. Evie gazed across the room towards Lucy's writing desk and the redhead's gold ornate dagger that was lying on it. Evie closed her eyes, trying to block out the black thoughts that were consuming her. One simple deed and her pain would go away. It would be so easy.

She rested her right hand on Lucy's and willed herself to go to sleep.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucy couldn't sleep. She lay there as if she were guarding Evie. She was afraid for her.

Something had snapped in the young woman's psyche and Lucy knew that she was partially to blame. It was Evie's relentless quest to keep her from harm that had forced the young brunette's mind over the precipice and Lucy had no idea if she could pull her lover back to safety.

The redhead felt Evie get up from the bed. She didn't move, she didn't want to be accused of mothering her.

Lucy tried as hard as she could to keep her breathing steady, she wanted it to seem that she was still asleep as she listened closely to Evie's movements in the darkness of the room. It was not uncommon for the former assassin to pace about the chamber in the middle of the night, Evie had been so accustomed to running missions under the cover of darkness in her days as an assassin that she found it difficult to make her mind relax at night. This was different.

Lucy could hear Evie's footsteps, she was still in their bedchamber. The redhead strained her eyes in the darkness, trying to figure out where Evie was. Lucy could only hear the ever increasing sound of her own heartbeat as fear began to take hold.

Suddenly, an eerie glow appeared over by Lucy's writing desk as Evie lit an oil lamp.

"It's alright," thought Lucy. "Evie is just going over some documents, there's no need to worry."

The redhead turned over in the bed and closed her eyes. "I won't disturb her," thought Lucy. "She doesn't like it if she thinks that she has woken me."

All that Evie could see was Lucy's dagger lying on the desk in front of her. The young brunette stroked at the sheath of the weapon with her fingertips. She looked back up and across the room at Lucy lying in their bed apparently fast asleep and she felt an overwhelming pain in her heart.

"I love you more than life itself," whispered Evie. "I don't want to leave you but I can't go on like this. Please forgive me."

Evie didn't know that Lucy had heard her every word.

Just as Evie took the dagger in her grasp, Lucy leapt up in the bed.

"EVIE!!" Lucy screamed, as she jumped up from the bed and made a mad dash to Evie's side. All that Lucy could see was the flash of steel before her eyes as Evie brought the weapon down towards herself.

"Evie, NO!" shouted Lucy, in a cry of anguish.

The redhead flung herself at her lover, causing Evie to temporarily lose her balance and making her loosen her grip on the dagger. Lucy closed her eyes as she grabbed for Evie and heard the weapon fall against the wooden floor.

"My Evie!" Lucy cried out, as she took the brunette in her arms, holding her as close as she could. "Why, my darling, why?" asked Lucy, her eyes wide with panic.

"I can't live with this pain." cried Evie, as she sobbed into Lucy's right shoulder.

"Evie, look at me!" said Lucy, putting a finger under Evie's chin.

The young brunette looked shattered when she finally looked into Lucy's dark eyes.

"I love you, Evie Frye." said Lucy, softly. "Whatever I need to do to help you, I will do it. Promise me that you will let me help you."

Lucy's eyes were pleading with her, "Please, don't leave me. I couldn't bear to lose you."

"Oh, Lucy. I'm so sorry." cried Evie, as she clung to the redhead. "I love you so much. I don't know what's wrong with me. Help me please, I'm so scared."

"My darling," replied Lucy, as she wrapped her arms tightly around Evie. "Come back to bed, I will take care of you. I will help you, whatever it takes."

Lucy slowly guided Evie back to their bed and gently lay her down. The redhead returned to the desk and unlocked the drawer before retrieving the dagger from the floor and safely depositing it under lock and key. Turning out the lamp, Lucy returned to Evie's side, taking the young woman back into her embrace.

"Get some rest, Evie. I will take care of you." whispered Lucy.

As Lucy lay there in the stillness, she knew what needed to be done. She needed to write a letter, it would be the hardest letter that she would ever write. She needed to write to Jacob Frye.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jacob was becoming accustomed to not sleeping well at night but last night was the worst yet.

The male Frye twin groaned loudly as he struggled to prop himself up on the couch. His left side was heavily bandaged and his left arm had been rendered temporarily useless, held up as it was in a sling. It was a miracle that Thorne hadn't killed him. If the bullet had hit him an inch in the opposite direction, she would have succeeded.

Henry heard Jacob cries of discomfort and dashed into the back room of the shop.

"Jacob! Are you alright, my friend?" asked the concerned Henry.

"Well.....I'm alive," Jacob groaned out.

"Here, let me make you more comfortable." Henry insisted, as he arranged the cushions and helped Jacob into a sitting position.

"Stop fussing over me please," Jacob pleaded. "It really isn't necessary."

"You must take things slowly," Henry cautioned.

"I know, but it goes against the grain." replied Jacob.

The young assassin suddenly became pensive.

"Jacob, what is it?" asked Henry, having noticed that the young man had become distant all of a sudden.

"She really thought that I was dead." whispered Jacob.

"What?" asked Henry, puzzled.

"When I was lying on the ground, I have this vague memory of Evie leaning over me with a white handkerchief in her hand. Then, I must have passed out." said Jacob.

"You are lucky." said Henry.

"Lucky, Greenie?" said Jacob. "No, if I was lucky, none of this would ever have happened."

Jacob leaned back into the cushions and sighed loudly.

"You need to rest," said Henry, gently patting Jacob on his good arm.

The two men were suddenly disturbed by a knock at the front door of the shop. Both of them looked up at once, the sudden movement causing Jacob to wince with the pain.

"Who is it?" asked Henry, advancing towards the door.

"I have an urgent letter for Mr Jacob Frye." the messenger replied.

Henry turned to Jacob.

"Open the door," said Jacob.

The Indian assassin cautiously opened the door.

"Mr Frye?" asked the man.

"Mr Frye is somewhat indisposed at the moment." Henry replied, opening the door further so that the man could see Jacob.

"Good day to you, Sir." said the man, as he thrust the letter into Henry's waiting hand.

As Henry closed the door he looked down at the letter, it was marked with the Templar seal. The writing on the front was very neat but it certainly wasn't Evie's writing. Henry immediately knew that Thorne had written this and that was a bad sign. A Grand Master would always dictate a letter to one of their subordinates. Something was wrong.

"Henry, you are taking far too long. What's the message?" called Jacob.

Henry didn't say anything as he walked through to the back room and silently passed the letter to Jacob.

Jacob looked at Henry with a perplexed expression, "Why the hell would that woman be writing to me?" he asked.

"Why don't you open it?" asked Henry, gesturing towards the envelope.

"It's a bit difficult with one hand, Greenie." said Jacob, in a sarcastic tone. "Could you do the honours."

Henry ripped open the envelope and his eyes began to skim over the contents, the few key words that his mind picked out making his brow furrow with concern.

"Henry.....what is it?" asked Jacob.

The Indian gentleman silently passed the correspondence to Jacob as he turned to leave the room.

Jacob could never have imagined what he was about to read........

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_'Dear Mr Frye,_

_This is not an easy letter for me to write. It goes against everything that I am as a Templar but I write now to beg you for your help. My darling Evie, your sister, is unwell. I came so close to losing her last night. Her mind is fractured. She knows that something is wrong but she doesn't know why and she has pleaded with me to help her. I have promised her that I shall do whatever it takes. Please, Mr Frye, I don't ask this for myself, I would not expect you to grant me any favours but please know this; I only did what I did because of Evie, I have only ever thought of her. I need to speak with you in person. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter as expeditiously as is possible, your Sister's life may depend on it._

_Lucy Thorne'_

 

Lucy put her quill back down on the desk. The letter was never going to be perfect because she didn't really know what to say. How do you tell your sworn enemy that his sister tried to kill herself and that only last minute intervention prevented her from doing so. How do you try to plead with someone whom you tried to kill?

How do you bring the person you love back from the brink?

The redhead felt that she really didn't have the answer to any of those questions but she had to try for Evie's sake. She could only hope that Jacob Frye would see it her way.

\----------------------------------------------------

"Henry! I've got to go to the Tower!" Jacob called out, as he tried to lift himself off the couch.

"You're what?" asked Henry in surprise, hurrying back into the room. "You are in no fit state to go anywhere!" Henry exclaimed. "Is it really that important?"

Jacob pushed the letter back into Henry's hand. "Read it through and see what you think." he said.

"It could be a trap." said Henry.

"I severely doubt that, Greenie." said Jacob. "A Templar would never beg for anything. No. I think that Thorne is being sincere."

"You still can't go there alone in your condition." said Henry.

"That, my friend, is why you are coming with me." Jacob replied.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Rescue Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy has to deal with Jacob's unscheduled arrival and things take an unexpected turn.

Lucy sat at her desk in complete silence. The Templar Grand Master played with the ring on her left hand, twirling it between her right thumb and index finger. The ring which Starrick had presented to Evie only a few short weeks ago. It was hard to believe that all of this had happened so quickly. Lucy thought back to that day in the vault. Would she have done things differently if she had been given a second chance? She knew that the honest answer to that question was 'no.' The more that she thought about it, the more Lucy felt her heart ache. Nothing would be harder than living without Evie beside her. The redhead pondered over what was to be done. If she had to lose Evie in order to save her, she would do it. Lucy knew that Evie would never agree to leaving her, that was why she had written to Jacob Frye. Even after their estrangement, Lucy knew that Jacob wouldn't want to see his sister suffer unduly. 

The redheaded Templar looked across the chamber to where Evie was still lying in their bed. She had always been able to maintain a stone-like exterior. People had always been an expendable commodity to her and right that second, Lucy Thorne would have given anything to feel nothing for Evie. The love that she felt for the former assassin was becoming almost unbearable.

Lucy took a sudden, sharp intake of breath as tears began to run down her soft cheeks. She crossed the chamber and moved to Evie's side. Lying back against the pillows, Thorne gently stroked a few stray strands of Evie's hair away from her face, her actions causing Evie to stir from her sleep.

Lucy immediately wrapped her arms around her half-sleeping lover as Evie nuzzled into her side.

"I'm so sorry that I have failed you, my darling." whispered Lucy, as she softly planted a kiss against Evie's head. 

Lucy could feel her body shaking as she held on to Evie, something that Evie noticed as she slowly woke.

"Lucy, are you alright?" asked Evie.

Lucy put her right hand to Evie's face and gently stroked the young woman's soft skin, all the while she gazed into Evie's eyes with an intensity.  
"I love you so much," gasped Lucy, as she kissed the young brunette fiercely.

In the back of her mind, Lucy kept thinking about the letter that she had sent to Jacob Frye and her immediate regret at doing so. She had thought that she was doing the right thing but now she was having second thoughts. Lucy knew that Evie wasn't going to react well once she discovered what she had done. She didn't want to think about it, not now, she just wanted to focus on Evie. 

"When I look in your eyes, I feel safe." said Evie. "Nothing and no one else matters."

Lucy could feel her whole body ache as she tightened her embrace on Evie, aching with all the love that she felt for her but also from the fear that Evie might feel betrayed by her actions in contacting her brother.

"Why don't we go away for a while, just us." said Lucy, trying to gauge Evie's reaction. "A change of scene might do both of us some good." 

"Where would we go?" asked Evie.

"How would you feel about us going to my home? We can escape the centre of London for a few days or so." said Lucy.

"Just us?" asked Evie.

"Well, apart from a handful of staff to keep the estate running smoothly, yes." Lucy replied.

"Yes, Lucy. Let's get away from here." said Evie. "Can we leave today?"

"The sooner, the better." replied Lucy, kissing Evie softly on the lips.

Lucy relaxed into Evie's embrace, believing that everything was under control. She was expecting a written response from Jacob Frye and simply intended to inform him of a change of plan by reply. 

She didn't know that the assassin was barely metres away.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"What do you expect to find when we get inside?" asked Henry, as he pulled the horse drawn cart up outside the gates of the Tower.

"I don't know, Greenie." replied Jacob. "I only know that I can't ignore Thorne's letter. I can't ignore....my sister." The pain on the assassin's face all too evident.

Henry got down from his seat and walked around to the other side of the transport.

"Let me give you some assistance." said Henry, reaching out to help Jacob down.

Jacob hissed through his teeth in pain as he felt the stitches pull in his chest.

"Jacob- ?" began Henry.

"I'm alright, Greenie!" replied Jacob, wincing through the pain. "Let's get this over with."

Lucy was about to get the shock of her life........

The redhead could hear a male voice booming in the distance and felt her blood run cold.  
"Your mistress sent me this letter!" shouted Jacob. "Let me pass!"

Lucy turned around to Evie, her complexion suddenly turning grey.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" asked Evie.

"E- Evie, I'm so sorry." said Lucy, tears forming in her eyes as she took Evie in her arms and held her close. "I thought that it was for the best. I didn't expect-"  
Suddenly there was hammering on the chamber door, making Evie and Lucy jump in unison.

"Get out of my way!" boomed Jacob.

The oak double doors were thrown open and in walked Jacob Frye with Henry following not far behind.

Evie backed away from Lucy towards the windows, her eyes wide with panic.

"Lucy, why is he here?" asked Evie.

Jacob could hardly believe his eyes when he saw his twin sister. 

"What have you done to her?" asked Jacob, in shock.

"You are just as much to blame, Mr Frye." said Lucy. 

"I came here with good intentions, Thorne." growled Jacob.

"Well, I've changed my mind, Mr Frye. I am going to take Evie away from here for a while." said Lucy.

"Haven't you done enough?" shouted Jacob.

Evie ran back to Lucy's side. "I'm staying with you. Please don't send me away." pleaded Evie.

"Look at me, Evie." said Lucy, stroking the young woman's face in reassurance. "I won't let you go. It doesn't matter what your brother says."

"You asked me to come here, Thorne." said Jacob, through gritted teeth.

"I felt desperate." replied Lucy. "I didn't know what else to do. I was only thinking of your sister."

Jacob advanced towards the two women, still clutching at his side from the pain of his wounds.

"Please! Don't come any closer, Jacob!" said Evie, as she held onto Lucy tightly.

"You need to get away from this place, Evie. You need to be somewhere where you can heal your mind." said Jacob, trying to soften his tone of voice.

"You are the one who did this to me!" screamed Evie, as the tears streamed down her face. The young woman let go of Lucy and walked towards Jacob, her fists were clenched tight in anger.

"You turned me away, your own sister, simply because of who I love!" shouted Evie. "You turned me into this. All of this anger and resentment is because of you! None of this had to happen, Jacob!"

Henry stood in silence in the doorway as Jacob tried to reason with his sister.

Jacob reached out with his free hand but Evie pushed it away.

"Don't touch me! I don't want you anywhere near me!" shouted Evie.

"Evie-" began Jacob.

The former assassin swiftly pulled a pistol from her belt and pointed it directly at her brother, taking the male Frye twin by surprise.

"I said STAY AWAY FROM ME!" screamed Evie, her eyes wide with fear.

"Evie. My darling, put the gun down. Please." said Lucy, calmly.

"I can't." replied Evie, shakily. "He will only ruin our happiness. I love you, Lucy. I won't let him take away what we have."

"You are not seriously going to pull the trigger. You aren't going to kill me, Evie. You couldn't kill me before and you don't have it in you to kill me now." said Jacob. 

"You're right." said Evie, calmly. 

The young brunette lifted the pistol to her head, pressing it firmly against her right temple.

"EVIE, NO!" screamed Lucy, holding her arms up in panic. "Please put the gun down! I love you!"

"He will never leave us alone!" exclaimed Evie, her finger still sitting precariously on the trigger.

"Please, Miss Frye." said Henry, suddenly braking his silence. "Please," he said, softly. "I know that you love Miss Thorne very much."

The Indian assassin looked directly into Evie's greenish blue eyes. 

"I can tell by the way that you look at her." said Henry. "Because- I used to look at you the same way." he said, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"Evie." said Lucy, gently. 

The young brunette felt the soft touch of Lucy's fingertips against her left arm and she crumpled into her embrace, lowering the pistol and letting her head come to rest on Lucy's left shoulder.

"Please, rescue me." whispered Evie.

Jacob went to intervene but Henry stopped him, grabbing the assassin by the right arm and silently shaking his head.

"Evie, my darling." whispered Lucy, gently stroking at the Templar commander's right cheek. 

Evie looked deeply into her lover's dark brown eyes and moved in to kiss her softly, paying no attention to her brother or Henry Green.

Jacob could feel his gut twisting as he watched his sister kiss the Templar Grand Master, he was about to say something when Henry stopped him.

"Leave them be, my friend." said Henry. "Even you must be able to see that their love is real. I trust that Miss Thorne will take care of your sister. You must trust her also."

Jacob turned to Henry with a look of resignation. "I suppose so, Greenie."

The male Frye twin glanced back over his shoulder as Henry escorted him out of the chamber, leaving Lucy Thorne holding Evie tightly in her arms.


	9. The Thundering of my Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy will try anything to protect Evie, but the Templar Grand Master finds that she can't protect Evie from herself.

Sleep had become a scarce commodity of late.

Lucy came to, jolted from her all too precious rest by the sound of the horses' hooves. She looked around, her mind slowly taking in the inner walls of the  horse drawn carriage and the outlying boroughs of London which were a dimly lit haze of unrecognisable streets passing by the carriage window.

She turned to check on Evie. Her young lover was still asleep. Lucy pulled her travel cloak up over the Frye girl and gently put a protective arm around her, letting Evie rest against her side.

Dusk was turning to dark. As the moon rose in the sky, eerie shadows cast themselves across the carriage walls, the moonlight only illuminating the beauty of Evie's face.

Lucy could hear a thunderous symphony in her ears, louder than anything that the sound of the horses' hooves could produce. It was the beat of her own heart. As she looked at Evie sleeping peacefully in her arms, the Templar Grand Master softly stroked across the pattern of freckles on the young woman's skin. The sound of her heartbeat seeming louder with each passing second.

Lucy closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Evie, holding her close.

"I love you and I will protect you, just as you have always protected me." whispered Lucy. "May the Father of Understanding guide me."

\-----------------------

It was almost midnight when the carriage finally pulled into the grounds of Lucy's family home. Thorne herself hadn't set foot in the manor since she had been accepted into the Templar Order, having preferred to take up residence in the Tower rather than languish in the vast building on her own.

"Evie, we're here." said Lucy, gently.

The former assassin gradually came round, giving Lucy a sleepy look.

Two weary blighters got down from the front of the carriage to open the door.

"Make sure that all our luggage is taken to the master suite." ordered Lucy.

"Yes, ma'am." replied the two blighters, almost in unison.

Thorne turned her attention back to Evie as the Templar commander tidied herself up.

"Lucy, while we are here, I want to give the impression that we are purely here to work on a plan of action against the assassins. That we just wanted to remove ourselves from the city for that reason alone." said Evie, forcefully.

"Yes, of course, darling." replied Lucy, somewhat taken aback by Evie's tone of voice.

"I am a Templar commander. I cannot be seen to show any sign of weakness in front of our subordinates." said Evie.

With that, the young brunette alighted from the carriage, leaving Lucy feeling bemused by her lover's unexpected outburst.

Evie was angry with herself for feeling the way that she did. She could always pride herself on being able to cope with any situation, it frustrated her that she felt so powerless. She was determined to throw herself into her work.

Lucy showed Evie into the house. 

"You should really spend more time here you know. It's beautiful." said Evie, as she took in her surroundings.

"Maybe I will, now that I have you with me." replied Lucy, with a smile. "It always seemed so oppressive once I'd lost my family."

Lucy immediately wished that she hadn't mentioned family in front of Evie. "I'm sorry, Evie. I shouldn't have said that."

"It doesn't matter. There is really no need to concern yourself. You are my family now." said Evie, resting her hands on Thorne's shoulders. "I don't want you to feel like you have to treat me with kid gloves."

The two women were suddenly interrupted as the Blighters came back down the stairs.

"Everything is in order, Ma'am." said the burly looking man.

"Thank you." replied Lucy. "It's late, there is no use in you heading back to London at this hour. You may stay here in the servants' quarters for tonight if you wish."

"That is very thoughtful of you, Miss Thorne." replied the Blighter.

"My butler will show you to your rooms." said Lucy.

The pair of wry Blighters were shown the way to their accommodation, leaving Lucy and Evie alone together.

"I would show you around." began Lucy, "But I thought that given the hour, you would prefer to retire to bed."

Evie's tired eyes looked deeply into Lucy's, almost on the verge of tears.

"Yes." said Evie, softly. "I just want to fall asleep in your arms, my darling."

\-----------

Lucy escorted Evie up to the bed chamber.

"I feel like I am having a case of déjà vu." said Evie, as she looked around the room.

The furniture was arranged in exactly the same way as it was in Lucy's rooms back at the Tower, with a large oak four poster bed in the centre and a writing desk in the bay window.

"So your rooms in the Tower are quite literally your home from home." said Evie, lifting her right eyebrow at Lucy."

"This house hasn't felt like a home for some time." said Lucy, putting her arms around Evie. "It does now though."

Evie looked deeply into Lucy's eyes and suddenly became pensive.

"If I had my time over again, I wouldn't do anything differently. I would always choose you." said Evie, softly.

Evie pressed herself against Thorne and began to kiss her passionately.

"Oh, Evie." gasped Lucy.

"I couldn't bear to lose you." whispered Evie.

"You remember that day in the vault when you first kissed me." said Lucy, as she pulled away to look into the assassin's eyes. "I cried so much after you had gone, I wanted you in my arms. When you came to me that night, I could barely breathe. I was so in love with you."

Lucy gazed deeply into Evie's eyes and kissed her again. "It didn't matter to me that you were an assassin. I love you, Evie Frye and I will love you forever."

Thorne backed the Frye girl up towards the bed.

"I just want to lie in your arms, my darling Lucy." whispered Evie.

The two women began to strip each other of their clothing until they were exposed to one another.

"I didn't want to let you go that day." said Evie, as she ran her fingers through Lucy's luscious red hair. "I went back to the train, locked myself in my carriage and collapsed in a flood of tears. My heart ached for you."

The young brunette looked at Lucy and softly stroked at her face. "I am still so in love with you. I can never stop loving you, Lucy Thorne." said Evie.

The redhead pulled the bedspread back and gently lowered Evie onto the bed. Lucy saw her lover shiver in her arms as her skin came into contact with the cold bedding.

"Nothing can ever describe how much I love you, Evie Frye. You go against everything that I was ever taught. You are a woman. You were an assassin. You were my enemy."

Lucy gazed into the Frye girl's eyes and smiled. "You are everything that I ever wanted."

Evie smiled back at Lucy and wrapped the bedspread around them, feeling her lover's warmth.

"That day in the vault, I had to take the chance, even if it had meant my death." said Evie, as she gazed into Lucy's dark eyes and caressed the redhead's right cheek with the back of her left hand. "All I could see in front of me was the woman I loved."

"Oh, my darling." whispered Lucy, pressing her lips softly against Evie's.

The young brunette wrapped her arms around Lucy and held her close.

"Ohhh." Evie breathed out, as she pressed Lucy against her chest. "I wish that it could just be us. That we could go wherever we chose, without a care for anything but each other."

The redhead leaned over Evie and gazed into the Frye girl's eyes as she softly stroked at her hair.

"I wish that too, Evie." replied Lucy.

The redhead took Evie in her arms and held her tightly in her embrace.

"Rest, my love. Close your eyes and sleep in my arms." said Lucy, pressing a kiss into Evie's hair.

The Templar Grand Master felt Evie shiver again, but she wasn't shivering from the cold.

"I love you so much." gasped Evie, resting her head in the crook of Lucy's neck.

Lucy could hear her heartbeat pounding as she clung to Evie.

"I love you." replied Lucy. "You are my life, Evie Frye. I will save you."

\---------------------------------------

Lucy awoke suddenly, jumping from her sleep in a state of panic. A jolt of anxiety coursed through her body as she turned, only to find that Evie was still asleep in her arms. The redhead let out a sigh of relief and tried to settle her breathing.

She had been left mentally scarred by the night that Evie had tried to kill herself. The moment played over in her mind each night and every time that she woke during the night, her mind would play tricks on her, convincing her that she was back in that moment. She hadn't told Evie, but she kept having nightmares in which she couldn't save her. She would find the woman she loved slumped over the desk with her own dagger protruding from her chest.

Thorne clung to Evie and held her close in her arms. "Don't you ever leave me." whispered Lucy, as she stroked her sleeping lover's skin.

\-------------------------------------------

Lucy didn't know when she had finally managed to fall asleep. She had lain there watching over Evie as if she were guarding the most precious jewel in the world.

When she opened her eyes again it was morning and she was alone in the bed.

"Evie?" Lucy called out, as she sat up.

There was no answer.

The Templar Grand Master leapt up from the bed and dressed as quickly as she could.

"That will have to do." said Lucy to herself, stopping to check her appearance in the wall mirror.

"Evie!" called Lucy, as she hastened down the stairs.

"I'm in here!" called Evie.

Lucy felt a weight lifting from her chest at the sound of her lover's voice. She walked into the Drawing Room to find Evie dressed in her full Templar regalia, pouring over some documents.

"What are you doing?" asked Lucy, walking around the large oak table to reach the Frye girl.

"I realised something during the night." began Evie. "We need to go after the Shroud. We can use it to help us take down the assassins."

Evie gazed into Lucy's dark eyes and took the redhead's hands in her own.

"I will retrieve the Shroud for you." said Evie, softly. "You shall be invincible, my love."

"Evie, you don't have to keep proving yourself to me." said Lucy, moving her right hand from Evie's grasp so that she could touch her young lover's left cheek.

"I want this for you. I want this for us." said Evie. "With the Shroud in the possession of the Order, we will be able to do anything."

The Frye girl knelt down in front of Lucy, her eyes fixed on the floor. The Templar insignia draped over Evie's shoulder glared back at Lucy as she stood there temporarily unable to put her emotions into words.

"I want her back." gasped Lucy, finally. "Where are you, Evie Frye?"

Evie looked up from the floor with a look of confusion on her face.

"I did all of this for you." replied Evie, on the verge of tears. "Joining the Templars, slaughtering the Rooks, killing Starrick, giving the Order my research. I was even prepared to kill my own twin brother!" screamed Evie, straining the back of her throat.

Lucy dropped to the floor and grabbed Evie in her arms. The former assassin tried to struggle from Thorne's embrace but the redhead held fast.

"I know that most of what you are feeling right now stems from the anger that you feel towards your brother, but Evie, you need to learn to control it. It's destroying you." said Lucy, as she held her lover tightly. "You never had to prove yourself to me. I love you. Please don't tell me that I have lost my Evie forever."

"I am your Evie." whispered Evie, looking up into Lucy's tearstained eyes.

"No, you are Templar Commander, Evie Frye. You are not the smiling, fearless young woman that I fell in love with." replied Lucy. "The fire has dimmed from your eyes. Will I ever find you again, my love?"

Thorne gazed into Evie's tired eyes. "Come back to me, Evie." she said.

The Frye girl looked down at the ring on her finger, the ring that Lucy had given to her and felt an ache in her chest.

"You can take everything that I have, everything that I am. None of it matters." said Evie, pulling the Templar insignia from her shoulder and letting it fall to the floor. "I only want you. I love you, Lucy." said Evie.

"Evie?" asked Lucy, puzzled.

"Don't send me away." said Evie, as she clung to the redhead.

"I would never do that." replied Lucy, stroking her lover's hair. "I only want to help you, my darling."

"Come on." she said, getting Evie to her feet. "Let's go outside and get some air."

Evie simply smiled weakly at Thorne as the two of them left the room, leaving the shoulder drape discarded on the floor.

\-------------------------

Evie walked silently beside Lucy as they stepped out into the garden.

The young brunette breathed in the clean air, taking advantage of being away from the smog-filled landscape of London.

Evie turned to look at Lucy. "I don't know who I am anymore." said Evie.

Lucy rested her hands on the Frye girl's shoulders and looked at Evie with concern.

"What do you mean, darling?" asked Lucy.

"I'm not an assassin, but if I am not a Templar, where does it leave my identity?" asked Evie.

Lucy moved her hands to Evie's face and softly brushed at the young woman's cheeks with her thumbs.

"You are Evie Frye, the woman I love." replied Lucy, gazing into Evie's greenish blue eyes.

Evie put her arms around the redhead and held her close.

"I need a purpose, otherwise what is the point of living?" asked Evie.

"You do have a purpose, Evie. You make me happy. I don't know where I would be without you." said Lucy, pressing a soft kiss to Evie's lips. No matter what you decide, it must be your decision and yours alone."

The Frye girl simply looked at Lucy and nodded that she understood before they continued on their walk.

\---------------------------------

When they finally made their way back into the Drawing Room, Evie moved swiftly over to the shoulder drape and picked it up from the floor.

"I've made up my mind." said Evie, throwing the Templar insignia back over her right shoulder. "I am a Templar...."

The young woman grasped Lucy's shoulders firmly in both hands as she looked into the redhead's dark eyes.

"I am a Templar but I am also the woman who loves you." said Evie. "I promise you that I will keep my emotions under control and won't let my anger blind me."

"You are truly content to remain with the Order?" asked Lucy.

"Perfectly." replied Evie, giving Lucy a wide grin.

But Lucy could see something brewing in the Frye girl's eyes, something that seemed dark and foreboding. Thorne wanted to ignore it, so her mind blocked it out.

"We don't have to rush back to London." said Lucy, trying to distract herself.

"Really?" asked Evie.

"I confided in only a handful of people before we left. If there are any important developments a message will be sent to us, otherwise I have made it clear that we are not to be disturbed whilst we work on our plan of attack against the assassins." said Lucy. "We shall be left to our own devices."

"I really don't want to stay here for too long." said Evie, as she reached to pick up some paperwork.

"What do you mean, Evie?" asked Lucy, scowling at her lover. "You are supposed to be recuperating!"

"We have important matters to attend to back in the city. We may have the key to the Shroud but that doesn't mean that the assassins won't try to get their hands on it." said Evie, staring at a piece of parchment.

"Evie, can't you forget about the Shroud for at least one day?" asked Lucy. "The Shroud means nothing to me. You are much more important!" exclaimed the redhead.

"This has been your life's work!" shouted Evie. "The Order will be untouchable with the sacred garment in its possession."

"I would take it all back if I could. I curse the day that I joined the Order." whispered Lucy.

"Why could you possibly think that way?" asked Evie, frowning at Thorne.

"I wish that you had killed me in the vault that day." muttered Lucy.

"What?" said Evie, taken aback by Lucy's words. "How can you say that?"

"Because the pain would have been over in a matter of moments." replied Lucy. "Instead, my heart is in constant pain day after day, watching the woman I love slowly destroying herself."

Evie charged towards Thorne with her fists clenched tightly, pushing the Templar  Grand Master up against the wall.

"Don't say another word!" said Evie, angrily.

Lucy Thorne had rarely been scared of anything in her life, but right at that moment, she found herself genuinely afraid of the young woman in front of her.

"I- I-" stammered Lucy.

Her line of sight dropped to Evie's lips. Even in her shaken state, the redhead still couldn't resist.

But Lucy wasn't going to get the chance.

Evie pulled away, leaving Lucy confused and wanting.

"Where are you going?" asked Lucy.

"Just this once, I don't wish to answer that question!" quipped Evie.

The Frye girl turned her back on Lucy and swept out of the room, her Templar insignia showing prominently on her right shoulder.

"Evie." gasped Lucy, as the tears came to her eyes. The thunderous sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "I love you." she whispered.

\----------------------------------

"Have you seen Commander Frye?" asked Lucy, trying to conceal her concern.

The butler looked at Thorne nervously as he handed over a letter.

"The Commander asked me to give you this." said the butler.

"Where is Commander Frye?" asked Lucy, forcibly.

"I believe that the answer is in the letter, ma'am." replied the butler, turning to leave the room as quickly as possible.

Lucy slowly unfolded the piece of correspondence and felt herself almost stop breathing as her brain processed the words on the page.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I have returned to London to take care of some unfinished business. Please don't come after me, I shall be fine once this is all over. I need to lay some demons to rest, only then will we be able to move forward with our lives._

_May the Father of understanding guide you._

_Evie._

  
Lucy knew exactly what Evie was saying to her. She was going to finish what she had started. She was going to kill her brother.

Thorne suddenly felt a cold wave of dread descend upon her.

"How long ago did the Commander leave?" asked Lucy, dashing after her butler.

"About a half an hour ago, ma'am." replied the butler, turning to address the redhead. The aged man could clearly see that his employer was agitated.

"Are you quite well, ma'am?" asked the butler.

He wasn't going to receive a reply.

"Damn it, Evie." Lucy muttered to herself, as she made her way outside.

The redhead hastened to the stables as fast as she could.

"Saddle my horse, immediately!" said Lucy, sternly.

The young stable lad looked at Thorne in confusion.

"There is a storm approaching, ma'am." said the boy.

"I am fully aware of that." replied Lucy. "I have urgent business to attend to. Now, saddle my horse!"

The boy didn't argue as he swiftly fitted the leather saddle to Thorne's black stallion.

Lucy knew that going out in such weather conditions probably wasn't the most sensible course of action, but she was desperately worried about Evie. The young assassin's mind seemed so confused, it was as if she had developed a alternative personality. Someone that Lucy found it impossible to reason with. All that the redhead could think about was the Evie Frye who she had fallen in love with, Lucy knew that she could never abandon her. She could only hope that she was not too late to stop her carrying out her intended plan.

Taking the reins, Lucy urged her horse into a gallop. There wasn't a moment to lose.

The approaching thunder could be heard in the distance, but it wasn't going to deter the redhead from her objective. She had to find Evie and bring her back home.

"Faster!" shouted Lucy, shaking the reins forcefully.

Lucy couldn't have been no more than five miles from the outskirts of Thorne Manor when something caused her to stop abruptly.

"Steady!" shouted Lucy, trying to calm her horse.

Thorne leapt down from the animal. She hadn't imagined what she had seen. There, lying near the base of a withered oak tree was her beloved Evie.

Lucy rushed to Evie's side and took the young woman in her arms. She was still breathing.

"Evie? Evie, my darling. I'm here!" exclaimed Lucy. "What happened?"

Thorne gently stroked at the young brunette's face as Evie finally acknowledged her presence.

"Lucy." said Evie, softly.

"I couldn't go through with it. I don't know what happened. I felt lightheaded, I think that I must have passed out." said Evie.

"You fell from your horse?" asked Lucy, in concern.

A thunderclap suddenly interrupted them.

"I have to get you back home. You will catch your death out here." said Lucy. "Can you stand?"

"I don't know." replied Evie. "I'll do my best."

"Lean on me." said Lucy, looking reassuringly at her lover.

Evie looked directly into Lucy's eyes as the redhead helped her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy." said Evie, softly.

"You can save apologies for later." replied Lucy. "Right now, I just want to get you home."

Lucy helped Evie onto the stallion and heard the former assassin wince as she adjusted herself on the saddle.

"Are you hurt?" asked Lucy, as she mounted her horse and positioned herself  close behind her young lover.

"It's probably nothing." replied Evie, trying to make light of the situation.

Lucy wrapped her left arm around Evie's waist and took the reins in the other, she heard Evie take a sudden intake of breath, sucking the air in through her teeth.

"That doesn't seem like nothing." said Lucy. "It seems more like a cracked rib."

Evie didn't reply. She felt like a fool for getting herself into such a predicament. She knew all too well that if Lucy hadn't come looking for her, she would have most likely have died out there.

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End file.
